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South Pacific Region

Responding today while preparing for tomorrow

Island nations are particularly vulnerable to hazards that include violent storms, volcanoes, tsunamis and earthquakes. Even when local capacity to prepare and respond is relatively strong, the potential impact and long-term consequences can be severe.  
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Field Ready is working across multiple Pacific island nations - with plans to expand our work and include more countries - to reduce disaster risk concerns and prepare people for the next disaster. Our strategic focus is on WASH, inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities and disaster preparedness.

Our goal is to decrease the impact of disasters and increase people's resilience. Working with a number of partners including World Vision Australia, DFAT, HitNet, H2H, PLAN-US, UNICEF, USAID and others, Field Ready is putting the necessary elements of a response in place while building vital knowledge and skills. ​
Fiji News (FBC) story about Jean Matthias

Getting local solutions for the South Pacific region

Field Ready has been working in the South Pacific since 2016 and established a workshop and separate entity registration in Suva, Fiji in 2018. The workshop/makerspace serves as a hub for humanitarian supplies, design and manufacturing that also conducts pilot activities in Fiji Central Division under the DFAT Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP) Program.​
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As part of our mission to "make it local," Field Ready has designed, developed and delivered innovative projects in the South Pacific with local manufacturing partners producing critical aid supplies. These include:
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  • Emergency latrine development with Habitat For Humanity, UNICEF, the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services and WASH Cluster partners.
  • Local production of the Oxfam Jerry Buckets 
  • Designing and making items to improve the safety, dignity and accessibility of evacuation centers with local DPOs, the CANDO Network and AHP.
  • Putting in place the capability to respond to and reduce the risk of disasters with support from USAID/BHA (formerly OFDA).
Click here for a recent report on "The Localization of Emergency Relief Goods"

Building strong foundations to ensure the future of localized response

Field Ready is laying the groundwork for a strong localized response to future disasters by recruiting and training local engineers in humanitarian response and making. Field Ready is also mapping and engaging with local manufacturers that include a variety of sectors  - from high-tech plastics factories to metalwork, molding and casting, woodwork and traditional handicrafts industries.

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As part of this work, Field Ready has partnered with several local manufacturers to build the capability to meet the demand for urgently needed items. These items include hand-washing stations, buckets, foot-operated taps, latrine slabs and structures. All made locally.  

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Field Ready is leading the way in collaborating with communities, local businesses, government and the development agencies so that aid can be made where and when it's needed across the South Pacific.  

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Rapid Response Manufacturing in the Pacific
(Phase 2)

The mandates of USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs (BHA) and Field Ready closely align in the South Pacific. This project contributes to the objectives of BHA which further supports the Sendai Framework priority of enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response

and to

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“Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.

 

National disaster preparedness plans in the target countries have a strong emphasis on localization as a key priority for governments, donors and humanitarian agencies across the Pacific Islands. Ongoing efforts through this project to strengthen local supply chains, including building the capacity of local manufacturers and suppliers, will support increased local capability and self-reliance in disaster response.

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Project goals

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  • Save lives, increase resilience and reduce the risk of recurrent natural hazards for at least 25,000 Pacific Islanders and prepare their communities to respond to future rapid onset disasters more effectively.

 

  • Mitigate the impacts of natural hazards on vulnerable populations through increased access to locally made aid supplies and repairs. These increase the effectiveness and efficiency of response and recovery through strengthening local supply chains and improving Disaster Risk Reduction policies.

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