In October 2023 cyclone Lola flattened the remote Island of Tikopia in the Te Motu province in the Solomon Islands.
Cyclones are of course not an unusual occurrence in the tropical Islands and the Tikopians, in their 3000-year history, have learned to prepare themselves for these events. The preparation of underground food storage is very much part of their cultural heritage. Sago palms and breadfruit trees are needed for these emergency rations that need to last until other crop , like taro bananas or cassava have the chance to regrow.
But in the last few years cyclones have been more frequent and more violent. The important trees do not have the time to recover and when Lola hit there was no emergency food available.
Your Bay of Island Marina dock master Monika and her partner Martin have been twice to Tikopia and have forged lasting friendships with some of the islanders and in particular with the young chief Ariki Kafika. Aware of the path of Lola and deeply worried about the fate of her friends, Monika established contact with a yacht , equipped with Starlink, in Vanuatu and convinced the owners to sail to Tikopia. This brought not only the first pictures from the destruction of Tikopia to the outside world, but also allowed Ariki Kafika and the other chefs on Tikopia to deliver a handwritten letter to Monika, Martin and other friends asking for un bureaucratic help.
The concept of long lasting help towards climate change adaptation for the affected communities became increasingly urgent as the initiative to collect funds and send these to the Solomon island ended in the loss of the collected money in some obscure promises.
What if the locals of other Island in the Temotu group could help each other in the event of a disaster. If they had their own small sailing cargo vessel, and if they had means to communicate with each other, would they be prepared to come to the help of their neighbours.
Very quickly this idea gained support within an international group of friends and in August of this year, the local charter boat, the 22m ketch with the fitting name SV Manawanui ( big heart) will set sails , bound for Temotu. The Manawanui Project was born. Her crew has already arranged discussions with many of the chiefs on all the island of the group.
Should the idea of self help to become more resilient against climate change find the support among these chiefs, then the Manawanui Project will, under the watchful eyes of the ex police commander of the Solomon island , Luke Vaikawi ,train a team of locals to man and maintain the SV Manawanui. After two more voyages in the following years the newly formed charity The Manawanui Project will hand the vessel over to a local team.
This local team will then have the means to offer fast and efficient emergency help. This might not only save lives, but it will help to keep the local traditions of food preservation alive and it will also offer opportunities for trade, employment and small ecotourism.
If you like to know more about the Manawanui Project, or even consider to help us through donated goods or other support , please have a chat with Monika our Dockmaster or visit their web site www.manawanuiproject.org
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