Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) reposted this
About 10 years ago, I had the fortune to visit Tonga for a week with a World Bank team and some experts from Arup to start work with the Government to improve the quality of its school infrastructure to withstand disaster shocks. In a small way, we contributed to Tonga's work over the past decade to improve the resilience of its school infrastructure. And we created some of the foundation for Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) safer schools program that since has supported safer school construction and maintenance in more than 35 countries. In Tonga GFDRR has since contributed advisory for scoping, preparation and implementation of investments led by the Government helping protect thousands of students from disasters. Our technical expertise is still informing the Tonga Safe and Resilient Schools Project, which includes recently approved $15 million in additional financing from The World Bank to build disaster-resilient schools. This investment will help protect over 2,000 students by upgrading education facilities to withstand future weather extremes. The Tonga Safe and Resilient Schools Project is already making a difference with new disaster-resilient classrooms completed for hundreds of students and more upgrades on the way. Beyond infrastructure, we're supporting comprehensive maintenance programs to ensure these investments deliver long-term benefits for Tongan communities. This collaboration between GFDRR, the World Bank, the government of Tonga, and development partners demonstrates our shared commitment to building resilience in the Pacific, where climate and disaster risks pose significant challenges to education infrastructure. Over the past decade, GFDRR has provided extensive support to Tonga, including conducting detailed assessments of the physical damages caused by the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcanic eruption and tsunami, analyzing the gender gap in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities in Tongan schools, and leveraging aerial technology to accelerate disaster recovery efforts. At the GFDRR Partnership Days held in Himeji in June 2024, we heard from Mafua-’i-Vai’utukakau Maka, Director of Tonga’s National Disaster Risk Management Office, about how impactful GFDRR support has been for the country. We look forward to continuing our engagement with Tonga. Learn more about how GFDRR is supporting the country: https://lnkd.in/d_3eDZ7G https://lnkd.in/dVXyPcBg Jian Vun Simone Esler Cristina Otano Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Jo da Silva DBE Hayley Gryc Denis Jordy Carina Fonseca Ferreira Angeles Martinez #DisasterResilience #Education #Pacific #Tonga #GFDRR
Resilience start with strengthening communities through education and healthcare and that requires safe, resilient schools and health centres - something Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) programme for Safe Schools has championed for over a decade and Arup have welcomed a truly collaborative partnership.
Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist and the Asian Development Bank
1moAnd the team at RED Risk Engineering + Development 👏🏼