Youth lead community-based COVID-19 response in Kiribati

As of August 2020, Kiribati had not recorded any cases of COVID-19. However, until the world emerges from the global pandemic, COVID-19 presents significant, health, social and economic risks to the populations of Kiribati and other Pacific nations.

Kiribati has one of the busiest international ports in the Pacific, primarily accessed by fishing vessels. The country has a population of approximately 119,000 people, over a third of whom live in the  capital, South Tarawa. Betio is the most densely populated area within South Tarawa and many extended family members tend to live together in one household. Households often lack key infrastructure and facilities and access to clean water and sanitation facilities is limited. These households are extremely vulnerable to a COVID-19 outbreak as the likelihood of rapid community transmission is high. 

Above: Kiribati Institute and Technology bridging graduate student and youth representatives Tebukei and Onotimo apply the final layer of paint to new handwashing basins. Image: ChildFund Kiribati.

Australian Humanitarian Partnership NGOs and their partners are delivering a COVID-19 Pacific and Timor-Leste response across nine countries, including Kiribati. As part of this response, ChildFund Kiribati, with support from Plan International Australia and ChildFund New Zealand, will reach more than 12,000 i-Kiribati living in Betio and beyond to help them prepare for a possible COVID-19 outbreak. 

Above: The first two completed handwashing stations ready for installation. The stations are constructed from recycled metal drums with timber frames, PVC piping and metal tap fixtures. The design and fabrication is by the Kiribati Institute of Technology and Betio Youth Groups. Image: ChildFund Kiribati.

By the end of August 2020, AHP partners had installed the first new handwashing stations in the Santa Teretia and Santo Betereo mwaneabas (a community meeting and recreational centre). The new handwashing stations provide residents and pre-schoolers, who are taught in the mwaneabas, better access to handwashing facilities due to their central locations.

Youth groups throughout Betio are working with ChildFund Kiribati to improve community hygiene practices as a COVID-19 prevention measure. The project builds on ChildFund Kiribati’s existing partnership with youth groups to form WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) committees and handwashing stations will be installed in 14 mwaneabas. Raising awareness of COVID-19 and hygiene measures among preschool students, teachers and households is also a focus.

The youth groups are also working with recently graduated Kiribati Institute of Technology (KIT) students to construct and install the new handwashing stations. Together they will ensure the catechists and pastors who oversee the mwaneabas understand how to maintain the stations so they last a long time and will provide ongoing support over the next 18 months. 

“I am very lucky and excited to be part of the team to install this hand-washing station in all preschool mwaneabas. Usually preschools have a tippy tap, but this is a much larger tippy tap. I’m sure preschools students and teachers as well as the church village members will be very much appreciating this kind of initiative”, said 23-year-old bridging graduated student, Tebukei. 

ChildFund Kiribati will also engage local women to sew personal protective equipment such as face masks and will consult with disabled people’s organisation, Te Toa Matoa, to ensure handwashing stations are disability accessible and COVID-19 messaging is disability inclusive.

The partnership between AHP partners like PIA and New Zealand NGOs like ChildFund NZ, is the first Australia-New Zealand NGO collaboration within the AHP and  lessons from the experience will be captured and shared to inform future opportunities.