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Priorities of the People: Hardship in Tuvalu

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Introduction

	Many families have to choose between paying electric bills and school fees

Especially difficult development challenges confront the small, widely dispersed Tuvalu population of about 9,500. Nearly half of the population now lives on the main capital island of Funafuti. Although Tuvalu recently experienced a sharp boost in prosperity due to revenues generated by the marketing of the “.tv” domain name, fishing licenses, and high investment earnings from the Tuvalu Trust Fund, times are now getting hard for many people. The bursting of the Internet bubble and declines in world capital markets have resulted in economic difficulties and the likelihood of lower incomes for many Tuvaluans.

Analysis of the 1994 Household Income and Expenditure Survey showed that at that time about 23 percent of households were below the basic needs poverty line. This means they did not have enough income to obtain a basic diet and other non-food essentials and therefore had to make difficult choices between buying food, paying school fees, meeting social and community obligations, and paying electricity or fuel bills.

Tuvalu’s traditional social system and culture, in which all those in need are cared for, is beginning to break down as the demand for cash incomes and modern ways influence the country. Migration of people from the outer islands to Funafuti and overseas leading to declining populations on the outer islands and rising dependency of those who remain. This is weakening the traditional social and economic subsistence lifestyles that have sustained Tuvalu in the past.

In light of these changes, the issue of hardship can no longer be ignored. The situation is more complicated than merely improving income levels; for many people, particularly those living in the outer islands, hardship is due to poor access to basic services and economic opportunities, or of being unable to realize their own potential and aspirations.

To better understand the nature of hardship in Tuvalu, the government undertook a Participatory Assessment of Hardship in mid-2003 with assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The assessment identified the needs and priorities of people living in communities throughout the country with different levels of access to services such as education, health, markets, transportation, water, and sanitation.

Six communities were selected for the surveys and interviews, including three on Funafuti (Lofeagai, Nanumea, Mulimalae) and three on central, southern, and northern outer islands (Vaitupu, Nukulaelae, Nanumaga). The assessment team consulted village heads and council members, elders, church leaders, women and youth, as well as community members who were perceived to be suffering most from hardship. A national workshop was held to present the findings of the assessment and discuss strategies and recommendations for addressing the perceived needs of the people.

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