The Live and Learn Environmental Education programme was awarded US$1.5 million to provide 11,000 children and 2,900 households with access to improved WASH systems in four Pacific Islands. The funding was announced by USAID at the Fa'onelua Convention Centre, Nuku'alofa on 7 December.

The U.S. Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded the funds to enhance the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Resilience in 135 vulnerable communities, 90 schools, and 18 health centers in Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Through USAID’s five-year grant program, the Pacific American Fund, “this grant will enable  Live and Learn Environmental Education programme to improve WASH service delivery by promoting inclusive, contextually appropriate WASH systems designed to ensure marginalized communities and individuals are able to use their own skills and resources to provide safe water.

“LLEE will promote positive hygiene behavior change, support women’s inclusion in WASH system development, and develop plans to ensure target communities recover faster and remain safe from disasters, including COVID-19,” USAID stated.

U.S. Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu, Marie C. Damour who was in Nuku'alofa this week to present her credentials to King Tupou VI, said the U.S. government supports locally-designed initiatives that will allow communities to design efficient, effective, and relevant water and sanitation systems.

“The U.S. government is committed to strengthening the ability of the Pacific Island’s most vulnerable communities to live healthy and secure lives free from illness and disease, gender-based violence, and disaster-related disruptions.”  

This grant is aimed to promote the active participation of women and underrepresented populations in the design and implementation of grant activities.  

Launched in 2020, the Pacific American Fund awards grants on an open and competitive basis to qualifying local, national, and internationally operating civil society organizations, including private small-and-medium enterprises, non-governmental organizations and institutions, universities, and faith-based organizations.