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What Causes Hardship?Lack of jobs and poor quality services are the main causes of hardship Hardship is a complex problem with many different direct and indirect causes. The participatory assessment identified lack of jobs and other ways to earn cash as the most critical issue for all communities in both urban and rural areas. The people perceived that the poor quality of services, rather than the lack of services was an important cause of hardship in many communities. Other causes were having too many dependents and/or children; limited access to basic services; landlessness; the high cost of goods and services; burdensome family, church, and community obligations; poor health; and poor family budgeting. The increased individualism of the more educated youth, migration to urban areas, and poor relocation sites for squatter communities or those hit by calamities were also said to contribute to hardship in urban areas. Specific causes were cited for three especially affected groups: children, youth, and women. ChildrenParental neglect was said to be the primary cause of hardship among the children of Tonga. Those consulted said many homes are overcrowded because of extended family members and couples having too many children. This has left many children with limited parental guidance. Insufficient access to education has also contributed to hardship among children. Many parents were said to take their child or children out of school because they did not have enough money for bus fare. In other cases, children have to walk several miles to get to and from school. Parental neglect, coupled with increased numbers of drop-outs at the primary level, were said to lead to some children growing up with low chances of earning enough income, or worse, a greater likelihood of joining gangs and entering a life of crime. YouthThe youth need more education and income opportunities The assessment showed that youth have experienced hardship due to a lack of educational and income opportunities. This has brought about over-dependence on parents, reducing the family’s already limited financial resources. In this case, the community often rejected or criticized the youth in question, leading him or her to turn to alcohol and/or substance abuse. Some young people turned to prostitution to earn money, but because of Tongan society’s conservative nature, people known to engage in this activity were heavily looked down upon and may never rise from their situation. Others became drifters, seeking opportunities in urban areas. Many of the people consulted attributed problems with the youth to negative “Western” influences and parental neglect. Women
Stress from too many family responsibilities, over-dependence on husbands and relatives, and increasing levels of domestic violence were some of the hardships that Tongan women were said to face. Although most couples decided jointly on financial matters, family planning was not usually discussed. Having too many children was said to be the result of not discussing family planning. In particular, widows and single mothers were viewed as experiencing the most hardship among women. As main family income earners, these women bore the stress of providing for their families along with caring for their children and, at times, sick family members. The pressure was greater especially when the women could not rely on relatives for help and or had no access to remittances from abroad. When asked how women’s lives have changed over the past 5 years, all 16 communities were in agreement that they have improved. This was due to increased access to skills training and higher education, being more organized to participate in community development activities, increased community recognition of women’s contributions to community decision-making, and women’s appointment to high-level government positions (e.g., acting secretaries, head of departments). These were seen as contributing to women’s increasing participation in government at the national level. Poor Service Delivery
In general, most basic services were said to be available and generally perceived to be good and improving by the communities consulted. The least available service was market access with only 9 of the 16 sample communities having good access to markets to sell their products. The poorest quality service was said to be water supply, with six of the communities rating it as “poor and deteriorating.” The following key services had a strong effect on the level of hardship experienced by Tongans. Women’s lives have improved over the past 5 years Water. People cited regular interruption of water flow and limited number of water tanks to enable households to store drinking water, particularly during the dry season and drought periods, as major inconveniences. For example, in Niuatoputapu, due to its much drier climate and poor village water supply system, communities relied mainly on rainwater for their water supply, but it was costly to construct a tank: T$2,000 (about $1,025). Mother, 36 Years Old
“I was born in Tongatapu. We moved from Niutoua to ‘Eua to look after my mother’s old parents. I attended primary school here in ‘Eua, and high school at Lavengamalie College in Tongatapu. I left high school at Form 5 and got married. “My husband and I had two children. Hoping to find a better life, my husband and I agreed that he should travel to Australia so he could assist our children and me. Unfortunately, he did not return or remit money to us. I got married a second time and had two more children, but life was very difficult for me because my two children from my previous marriage were being badly treated by my second husband and his relatives. “I decided to leave him and come back here to ‘Eua with my children to live with my mother who is now a widow. I got married a third time, and had two more children. However, I now have eight children altogether because before my first marriage, my mother and I adopted two of my brother’s children. “The two adopted children are both in Australia and have families of their own. They are not able to assist in any way because only their husbands have jobs. I am now a full-time housewife and sometimes make handicrafts and sell them at the market in Tongatapu. My husband grows food only for family consumption and sometimes is hired by other farmers to work on their gardens at 20 pa’anga a day. In a week, he could earn between 20 to 40 pa’anga. It is now 9 years that I‘ve been with my husband and I am trying my best to help him in financing our children’s education. “I can only make one kiekie (women’s waistband) a month that I can sell for 50 or 60 pa’anga. I cannot do much because I look after my mother who is 83 years old and almost blind. Although I would like to earn more, it would require me to leave my mother and younger children unattended. The only choice for me now is to make handicrafts. I had hoped that in moving to live and care for my mother, my four brothers living in New Zealand would assist us financially, but that is not the case. “This year, so far, I have only received about T$150 from one of them. Although this is not much, I am thankful that at least one of them remembers that he has a mother in Tonga who is still alive. “The difficulties I now face include not being able to meet the financial needs of my family and my mother and trying to secure a piece of land for my boys from my previous marriage. Luckily, my present husband is the eldest in his family and our children will eventually inherit his land. I am trying my very best to educate my children and secure a piece of land at ‘Eua so they could have land to build their own homes and develop their plantations.”
Although the government, with donor support, has provided a number of water tanks, some communities said they are still threatened by a shortage of water supply during the dry season. Transport. Poorly maintained gravel and tar-sealed roads, lack of road networks, and irregular and costly inter-island transport services were the main concerns cited by the communities regarding transport. Usually, people in the rural and outer island communities with no access to roads cope through walking and horse riding. Outer island communities use canoes or boats to travel among the scattered islands and to the main island. Irregular and/or expensive air, land, and sea transport services were also cited as a major concern. For example, communities in the more remote outer islands usually waited for boats that visit once or twice a week (e.g., Hunga Island, Vava’u) or ships that visit only about once a month (e.g., Niuatoputapu). People in the urban communities who didn’t have private transport mostly borrowed vehicles from relatives or neighbors or hired trucks or taxis to get to the government center, access basic services, or sell their produce. Health. Health services were rated poor by four outer island communities due to limited medical supplies and lack of qualified staff. For example, Panadol (an analgesic/pain reliever) was reportedly given by government health clinics/ centers as treatment for almost all ailments—including headaches, stomach aches, and other complaints that may require other medications. In the absence of their own community health center, people said they used health services in the next village or in the nearest town center. Most communities said they still relied on traditional medicine and traditional healers to treat sickness when medicine or qualified medical personnel were unavailable. The findings also suggested that even when medicine and personnel were available, some people were still more comfortable using traditional medicines and healers.
Markets. The great distance of some communities from the capital and irregular and/or expensive transport services to deliver produce (e.g., fish, kava, root crops, fruits, vegetables, and handicrafts), were cited as major obstacles. People on the outer islands said low prices hardly covered the cost of growing produce and they lack money for transport costs. Moreover, of major concern was the lack of agents to buy the produce from most outer islands, as well as the lack of warehousing and refrigeration facilities, especially for highly perishable marine and agricultural products. Except on ‘Eua Island where marketing agents buy directly from the plantations, outer island communities said the above-mentioned factors made it much harder for them to improve agricultural production to take advantage of their rich marine resources. This limited opportunities for regular income, especially for the more remote outer island communities in Ha’apai (Ha’ano Island), Vava’u (Hunga Island), and Niuas (Tafahi Island). Schools. Although said to be good and improving, education still concerned the communities because it was becoming too costly, especially for poor families. Some children at the primary level had stopped schooling due to their parents’ inability to pay for bus fare, school materials, and school contributions. However, some in the rural communities and outer islands have been successfully raising funds through kava parties and community concerts to provide regular transport or bus fare and materials to poor children in their community. This was a common initiative in Kolomotua Village, Niutoua on Tongatapu Island, and Longomapu on Vava’u Island. In addition, people on the outer islands reported that the lack of a secondary school on their island forced them to send their children to boarding schools or live with relatives on the main island to keep them in school. Communications. All communities, including those in the remotest areas said they have at least a community telephone. Those who could not afford to pay for a telephone connection used the village phone (when available), or asked an acquaintance to pass on their messages to relatives in the capital and other islands.
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