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p. 5 of 6 BACK | NEXT Introduction Is Hardship Really a Problem in Tuvalu? What is Hardship? Who is Facing Hardship? What Causes Hardship? What Can Be Done?

Priorities of the People: Hardship in Tuvalu

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What Causes Hardship?

	Water collection and storage is a concern

Although the causes of hardship are complex and interrelated, six major categories of perceived causes emerged during the assessment. The people perceived that hardship is caused by (i) limited access to quality basic services; (ii) limited opportunities to earn money, particularly for women and youth; (iii) overcrowding and overpopulation of households and communities; (iv) the deteriorating social support system; (v) too many familial, church, community, and island contributions; and (vi) idleness and a “dependency attitude.”

Poor Service Delivery

The poor quality, limited availability, and high cost of basic services were cited as the most critical cause of hardship by the people consulted. All six communities consulted had a primary school, health clinic, water, power, telephone, road, and transportation. However, the quality of many of these services was poor mainly due to inadequate maintenance, high costs, few qualified staff, and lack of supplies.

Water supply was perceived as poor in most outer islands due to poor rainwater collection and storage. Since most households depend on rainwater, efficient collection (mostly through the roof gutters) and storage were major concerns among the communities surveyed. Due to limited or absence of maintenance work, a number of community water cisterns and tanks were reportedly leaking, thus further limiting water storage capacity.

For Funafuti communities, the regular power outages were deemed a major inconvenience and cause of hardship. During the 2 weeks the assessment was conducted, power outages occurred almost every day and lasted for about 2–4 hours or more. These resulted in food spoilage, premature consumption of a family’s food budget, and damage to expensive household appliances such as refrigerators. Power outages had reportedly become more frequent since the new hospital opened, and people expressed concern about increased demand for power when the new government building opens in early 2004. Other than power, communities on Funafuti had relatively good access to services such as telecommunications, transport, and markets.

For the outer islands, the most common causes of hardship were limited and expensive telephone services, poor education and health services, inadequate water supply, bad road conditions, and poor market access.

Telephone connections suffered from regular service disruptions that at times lasted for months, due to limited available lines (usually two on each outer island surveyed), poor power supply, bad weather, and absence of skilled technicians to fix the lines. In the case of Nukulaelae Island, people reported that no one could call in or out for about 3 months. These disruptions effectively isolated the outer islands from Funafuti, the administrative center, and relatives overseas.

All outer island communities had a primary school, but most reportedly did not have enough qualified teachers, appropriate textbooks, or facilities. On Vaitupu Island, the location of the only secondary school in the country, people reported having similar problems, including no running water in the children’s dormitories and toilets (which resulted in a typhoid outbreak in early 2000).

There were generally one or two nurses stationed in the clinics on each of the outer islands surveyed. Doctors were only assigned to the hospital in the capital; during emergencies, patients from the outer islands had to travel by boat to Funafuti or fly to Fiji for treatment.

Access to markets to buy and sell fish on the outer islands was reported to be good due to effective Community Fisheries Centers established by the government under the Fisheries Department. However, limited access to markets for handicrafts, one of the most common activities for women, restricted their ability to earn income locally. Handicrafts were sent to the capital through the women’s island handicraft centers and sold in the handicraft center on Funafuti or in front of the Funafuti airport during flight arrivals and departures.

Need for Education and Livelihood Opportunities

	Only 60 students are admitted each year to the Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute

The people consulted during the assessment said those who finish only Form 4 in school cannot get good jobs; they believed completing Form 6 or 7 as well as having a degree or higher qualifications are required. Some, particularly the youth, were said to be poorly educated because their families could not afford to pay their school fees, they lacked personal motivation, or they did not have the intellectual capacity to continue their studies.

For those who could not get a job placement, there were very few alternative options; a place in the highly competitive Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute was the most sought after. For female youth, the options were seen to be even more limited, comprising only two privately-owned computing schools and the University of the South Pacific (USP) extension campus on Funafuti, both of which could accommodate very few new students and had very limited facilities. There was demand for a vocational school for young men and women who cannot get into the Maritime Training Institute or the USP extension center.

The need for more livelihood opportunities was mentioned by women, the elderly, and youth. Women highlighted their need for tools, especially for softening the pandanus leaves to make matsthis reportedly caused painful muscle injuries on their backs, shoulders, and arms. Women also cited the limited market to sell their mats to earn cash for food and school fees. For the elderly, some were left on the outer islands by children who went overseas or to the capital to work, leaving them without a regular source of income but often responsible for young dependents. Young people, especially those on the outer islands, cited very few opportunities after finishing Form 4. They are limited to construction work, small businesses such as canteens, cargo handling, and low-level or menial government jobs.

Overcrowding

During the assessment, many people said hardship was caused by large numbers of extended family members living in one house. Some claimed to have 13–15 people living in a 10 x 6 meter house, which put pressure on the family’s food supply (now mostly bought from stores), and stress on water supply, sanitation, and children’s health. Also, the youth group said overcrowding leads to “having arguments all the time at home” and that “very few people are working and earning.” Mothers stated that overcrowding has a noticeable impact on their children; skin diseases occur when there is poor sanitation and not enough water for washing. Aside from lack of land and limited funds, overcrowding was said to be due to the common practice in Tuvalu where married children, particularly sons with their wives, live with their extended family so they can take care of their elders. However, this practice was seen to be declining as young couples with jobs prefer to live on their own and support their extended families when they can.

Communities also perceived that available land was decreasing due to overpopulation. This was cited as a major hardship particularly for people on the outer islands like Vaitupu and Nukulaelae, where a family of 12–15 or more were said to share a piece of land much smaller than a hectare to build their house and grow food. Although census data shows that outer island populations are dropping, this view can be explained by young families wanting to build their own nuclear family house and not having enough room within the ancestral land holding. Those living in the urban areas on Funafuti said the rapid population growth and overcrowding was leading to decreasing land available for shelter and food. This was resulting in housing congestion, health and sanitation problems, and serious waste management issues. Borrow pits that used to be used for garbage disposal were being reclaimed by landowners for housing due to the high demand for land.

Cultural and Social Change

Increasing social problems such as alcoholism, drug abuse, gambling, lack of respect for elders, and school absenteeism were cited as causes of hardship during the assessment. People in the urban areas highlighted the increasing consumption of alcohol by youths and men, particularly construction workers and paid laborers. This reportedly caused quarrels between husband and wife when much of the husband’s income was used to buy alcohol rather than food. Marijuana smoking among the youth, especially those who have worked overseas, was also an increasing concern. The elders mentioned loss of respect by young people, such as young people talking back when being given a lecture by their parents, or drunken people harassing elders on the roads at night. Frequent school absenteeism and dropping out due to peer influence, access to alcohol and nightclubs in the capital and on Vaitupu, and low personal motivation to finish school were other causes mentioned.

Although the traditional support system in the communities was perceived to still be strong, there were a few elderly people who had no one to support them financially or help them cultivate the land. This was explained by changing attitudes or Westernization of the younger generation, particularly those who had been overseas. Their preference is to only support their immediate rather than their extended families. This concern was expressed by most of the communities surveyed. Most elderly people said they wanted to be financially independent, rather than having to rely on relatives as was customary, for example, by leasing their lands to have a regular source of income.

Cultural Obligations

Too many familial, church, community, and island contributions were said to be a major cause of hardship in Tuvalu. Men and women, particularly those from the capital, said these contributions are draining their household income. Some communities required households to provide about A$1,000 each, often payable over 1–5 years. People without work were also expected to contribute. Some said that people still give contributions even though they are a burden because of the Tuvaluan custom that inhibits people from admitting that they are having difficulty and cannot afford to contribute.

The people surveyed also said that due to extended family ties, there are many people who rely only on relatives for financial support. They said this has led to idleness and a “dependency attitude,” and hardship for the people providing the support. Since it is difficult to refuse requests for assistance, they end up spending most of their income on these extended family obligations and community contributions, leaving little for family needs and virtually nothing for savings.

Especially Affected Groups

The people surveyed during the assessment mentioned specific causes of hardship for three especially affected groups: children, youth, and women.

Children

Hardship among children was said to be caused by parental neglect due to the breakdown of marriages; parents spending too much time on community activities, gambling and drinking; and parents being unaware of the importance of spending quality time with their children. People also mentioned the low quality of education, poor nutrition, large families, and limited water supply and transport as causes of hardship for children.

Youth

Joblessness was said to be the major cause of hardship among the youth and was said to be due to their lack of interest in school, dropping out of school, being unskilled, and having too few jobs available. Many young people said they find it difficult to get the sort of jobs they would like-a subsistence farming life is no longer very attractive to them. Youth were also said to face burdensome contributions for community youth activities and family needs. Alcohol and drug abuse, lack of discipline, and early marriage were cited as other causes of hardship for young people.

Women

Women said the major causes of hardship for them are having too many roles to play (traditional household and community roles with the addition of income earning responsibilities), domestic violence compounded by men’s alcoholism and gambling, breakdown of marriages, supporting large extended families, and “too many community contributions.” All six communities surveyed said that men and women decide jointly on how money is spent, and the number of children they will have. There were, however, observations that couples do not consciously decide on the number of children they will have. Overall, women felt their situation is improving due to better educational opportunities, particularly at the tertiary level, increasing community recognition of their contributions, and impact on community decision-making. Although they are not represented in the community or island councils, women’s needs were seen to be increasingly recognized by the allmale councils of elders. Lastly, women's appointment to high-level government positions (e.g., permanent/assistant secretaries, heads of departments) has contributed to women's increasing participation in governance at the national level.

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