ADRA Samoa

Celebrating the voices and skills that strengthen our communities!

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 & 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 🤝

ADRA Samoa was privileged to participate in two recent regional forums in Suva, Fiji. Both events put a critical spotlight on gender equality, inclusion, and the unique housing challenges faced by Pasefika people, especially women and People with Disabilities across Pacific communities. Being in these spaces ensures our local housing and disaster resilience programs truly leave no one behind.

🏠 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒖𝒎 1: 𝑾𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝑩𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑭𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 Co-facilitated by Habitat for Humanity Canada and the Fiji Women's Rights Movement (FWRM), this platform dissected the financial and cultural barriers women face regarding secure housing, particularly those who are facing economic, social and climate vulnerabilities.

🏗️ 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒖𝒎 2: 𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒖𝒎 Part of celebrating 35 years of dedicated service by Habitat for Humanity Fiji (in partnership with Habitat for Humanity New Zealand), this milestone event brought regional stakeholders together to ensure safe, affordable, and inclusive shelter remains at the forefront of Pacific development. A huge fa'amalo and congratulations to Habitat for Humanity Fiji on 35 years of incredible service! 🎉

🕊️ Building Faith-Based Networks & Alliances Beyond the forum sessions, we expanded our reach through strong networking:

✨LDS Humanitarian Services: We met with our Latter-Day Saints friends to establish closer ties and explore how we can join forces to better support vulnerable local communities.

✨TPUM: We were blessed to visit the Trans-Pacific Union Mission headquarters, reinforcing our shared institutional mission.

✨ADRA Fiji: To culminate an incredible week, we shared a beautiful gathering of fellowship and connection with our wonderful ADRA Fiji family. Fa'afetai le agalelei.

We return home inspired, with strengthened regional networks and fresh insights to further enrich our Negotiated Partnership and all our programs right here in Samoa.

🙏🏽 Thank you Habitat for Humanity Canada for making our attendance possible and to all our regional partners for the opportunity to learn, share, and grow together.

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 (𝗗𝗥𝗖) 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝘃𝗮 & 𝗔𝘀𝗮𝘂, 𝟭𝟯𝘁𝗵 - 𝟭𝟲𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 🤝

We are thrilled to share that we have successfully completed our Disaster Ready Churches (DRC) trainings at Iva and Asau to equip our local church leaders and members with the vital skills needed to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.

Key areas covered during the sessions included:

✅ Disaster response & coordination

✅ The importance of strong leadership and clearly defined roles

✅ Providing psychological support for those affected

✅ Expanding knowledge on financial literacy and hygiene practices

The participants were incredibly engaged and eager to learn, asking insightful questions about how they can protect their families and congregations. We are proud to announce that every participating church successfully drafted their own Church Emergency Management Plan (CHEMP). We are confident in saying: Iva and Asau, you are !

To further strengthen our selected churches, we are excited to share that each church will receive a package of seedlings and agricultural tools. We hope these resources will help foster food security and aid in long-term recovery efforts for our churches and the wider community.

We extend our deepest gratitude to the South Pacific Division for their generous financial support, which has made this project and these resources possible.

Together, we are building a safer, more resilient future!