Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Connecting Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific

Pasifik Currents May 2020 Executive Message

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April keeps safe with a Fijian-pattern mask made by her mother in law.

Talofa Lava Friends,

We are in an historic moment in time, one that has the potential to change our lives forever. While we are impacted differently in each part of the globe, we share the opportunity to address systemic changes and challenges that can positively transform our world, if we act together.

Early this month Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) marked our 45th Anniversary by launching a campaign for our Pacific Resilience Fund. Donations through this fund are distributed equitably throughout the South Pacific, and most importantly, they support Islander-led processes at the community level. Our local partners continue to work together and build resilience even in the face of recent crises, including COVID-19 and Cyclone Harold, both of which you will see covered with stories in this issue. PPP stands in solidarity with our friends and neighbors in the South Pacific – will you join us and be a part of building this legacy?

Makere – a recent donor to the Pacific Resilience Fund – wrote in the Maori language: “Tena koutou ki a koutou katoa, he koha iti, engari he koha aroha tenei…”  “We are with you all. A little gift, but this is a love gift…”

This sentiment is shared by PPP’s Samoan-Canadian President Muavae Va’a, who passionately shared his own stories of resilience and urged your solidarity. “As a Pacific Islander, it is important to me to support our peoples back home… Let’s begin today…even small amounts will

In November 2019, Samoan Elders Po & Savea joined program partner Eco Canada’s Kori, April and Mua at an Indigenous Youth Climate Connect workshop held at ȽÁU, WELṈEW̱ Tribal School on Vancouver Island, Canada.

be helpful.”  We invite you to watch his 8-minute video message.

While the immediate challenges of the recent cyclone and COVID-19 crises may take up our days, we are all adjusting to this new reality. PPP and our partners continue to work in physical isolation, but please know that we are working hard to make an impact – even virtually!

Within this edition of Pasifik Currents, you will find feature stories on our 45th Anniversary, updates from the HELP Resources Papua New Guinea project Vendors Collective Voices, inspiring stories from up and coming young female leaders, plus more people, program and news updates.

Save the date: “Giving Tuesday” will take place on May 5th as an emergency response to COVID-19. This is a global day of giving and unity that demonstrates the power of our collective generosity. Look to hear from us and the communities we are supporting in the South Pacific.

Thank you for continuing this Pacific Peoples’ Partnership journey. We look forward to you standing in solidarity with us well into the future!

April Ingham, Executive Director

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

 

RedTide Summit 2020 Postponed Due to Coronavirus

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RedTide logo by Mark Gauti, T’Sou-ke Nation

In 2018 PPP was part of a remarkable project that saw the birth of the RedTide International Indigenous Climate Action Summit. This was hosted by Toitoi Manawa Trust in May 2018 in Te Kaha, Aotearoa (New Zealand). Attending that first RedTide was youth activist Kalilah Rampanen from the Nuu-chah-nulth Territory of Ahousaht on Vancouver Island, British Columbia which became the designated location and host for RedTide 2020. Kalilah was named youth Chair of RedTide 2020, working diligently with her family with the expressed permission and support of her Hereditary Chief Maquinna, towards hosting the next bi-annual summit in July 2020.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that all travel is now restricted for the foreseeable future, as is entry into this small Indigenous community. It has been a difficult but necessary decision to postpone the event. The Summit team is now looking at the possibility of hosting virtual programming this summer, and the Summit on Vancouver Island next year.

If COVID teaches us anything, it is that we are indeed interconnected and must work together in solidarity to responsibly halt the spread and successfully bring this pandemic to an end.

PPP Featured Partner – RIKA

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PPP wishes to acknowledge our long-time supporter and partner, RIKA For over a decade, RIKA has donated his art and graphic design skills to support Pacific Peoples’ Partnership and our programs such as One Wave Gathering.

RIKA at Work!

RIKA is an Oceanscape artist in British Columbia, Canada working in brushed inks, watercolor and metallic leafing. His subject matter is the ocean surrounding the land he loves, the Pacific Northwest. As a socially-conscious artist , he also produces art and supports organizations that address environment and social justice issues especially as they pertain to Indigenous and South Pacific peoples, and our shared environment.

Special Notice from Pacific Peoples’ Partnership about COVID in the Pacific

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As of March 16, there have been six reported cases in the Pacific. The first three were confirmed in French Polynesia and the latter three were confirmed Sunday night in Guam. The first confirmed case in the Pacific was French Polynesia Maina Sage, who self-isolated after a trip to Paris on March 7.

The coronavirus has resulted in tightened travel restrictions, including cruise ships being banned in French Polynesia, Cooks Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga. In Samoa, travellers from 33 countries must self-quarantine for two weeks and show coronavirus test results no older than five days. Anyone entering French Polynesia must show medical certificates. Tonga declared a public emergency, meaning at any time mass gatherings could be banned and kava bars closed. Fiji has banned international events, as well as foreigners attending local events. Flights have been reduced, and Marshall Islands began a two-week restriction on all air travel to the country, currently set to end on March 22. The Federated States of Micronesia is prohibiting entry anyone who has been to a country with at least one case in the last two weeks.

In addition to negative effects on Pacific Islanders’ health, tourism is being affected.  Tourism represents around 40% of GDP for Palau, Vanuatu and Fiji, and is in fact the main export for those countries and Samoa. So even if those countries do not actually come into contact with the virus, it is expected that they will still struggle in the weeks ahead, particularly with limited budgets and health systems insufficient for handling the virus. While some have theorized that heat has an impact on coronavirus and while much of the population in the Pacific is spread out, there are some high population clusters in the region.

It should also be stressed that the above refers to what we traditionally consider to be part of the Pacific Islands. The numbers are higher if you consider the outer regions: There were 17 new cases in Indonesia on March 16 (134 total), with eight known recoveries and five deaths. In Australia there have been 298, with five deaths and 23 recoveries. In New Zealand there have been eight confirmed cases but no deaths thus far.

Pacific Peoples Partnership (PPP) will continue to monitor the pandemic’s impact on the Pacific and keep people informed. For our own operations, PPP is currently practicing a stage 1 response to COVID-19 including limiting access to our office to the general public, remote working where possible, social distancing and cancelling all events for the immediate time being. We continue to monitor this dynamic situation as it unfolds with the goal to keep our Pacific community safe.

Sources:

Coronavirus: Pacific borders tighten further, RNZ 1:01 pm on 16 March 2020

COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), Ministry of Health, Monday 16 March, 2020

Dayant, Alexandre & Pryke, Jonathan, Anticipating Covid‑19 in the Pacific, The Interpreter 16 Mar 2020 13:00

Maclellan, Nic, Pacific Islands hit by first coronavirus case after French Polynesian MP infected on Paris trip, The Guardian Thu 12 Mar 2020 01.11 GMT

Taylor, Josh & Zhou, Naaman,  Australia coronavirus live: Another federal politician tests positive and AFL season reduced – as it happened, The Guardian Mon 16 Mar 2020 11.39 GMT

Widadio, Nicky Aulia, Indonesia confirms 17 new cases of coronavirus, AA, 16.03.2020

Pasifik Currents – Spring Edition 2020

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April Ingham and Greta Thunberg in Swedish Lapland

Talofa Lava Friends,

Happy International Women’s Day!  Spring is starting to show itself here on Vancouver Island.  The days are getting longer, blossoms are slowly revealing themselves and a buzz of excitement is in the air as Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) grows ever nearer to our 45th Anniversary on April 8!  This is a special time of celebration and reflection for PPP, and we are thrilled to mark this milestone by embarking on a Wayfinding 2020 mission.

With the support of funder Tamalpais Trust, a San Francisco-based organization supporting Indigenous-led projects, PPP will connect with former, current and potential future partners throughout the South Pacific in a deep listening and learning mission. Ironically this mission recently began with a trip to Sápmi Territories (Swedish Lapland, Arctic Circle) where we witnessed Pawanka Fund’s transformative approach to philanthropy through global Indigenous solidarity and self-determination.  This incredible initiative is highlighted in the enclosed article.

Findings and inputs from Wayfinding 2020 will inform PPP’s strategic plans for 2020-2025 to ensure they support South Pacific Islanders’ stated priorities and self determined solutions. It is anticipated this will lead to strengthened partnerships, more impactful programming and the transformation of our Pacific Resilience Fund (PRF) into an Indigenous led fund.  So, watch for our continued updates on social media and through Pasifik Currents.

These have been busy and productive days here at PPP with lots of exciting programs in the works or just completed.  Want to learn more? Check out our 2018-19 Annual Report and Audited Statements and our recent articles about our activities including the Climate Connect Indigenous Youth Workshop in November 2019, plus check out the touching outcomes of our recent PRF Samoa Campaign as experienced first hand by our President Muavae Va’a in December 2019. You will also see our recent solidarity statement for Wet’suwet’en; and our newest feature Pacific Pulse, a curated and synthesized selection of emergent Pacific news, plus lots of other great updates!

Our Board, Volunteers and small team of Staff are working hard to be of service to the Peoples of the South Pacific.  To this end, we also work in solidarity with Indigenous peoples worldwide alongside many strong allies.  As we near our 45th Anniversary we urge your continued engagement and expanded charitable support of our mandate – Please donate today!  We look forward to celebrating this amazing milestone with you throughout 2020!

Yours in Solidarity for Peace,

April Ingham

Executive Director

Peoples & Passages:

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At our AGM in December 2019, PPP welcomed two new Board Members Tierra Madani – Originally from the island of Molokai in Hawaii, Tierra lives and breathes aloha in all that she does. She moved to Victoria in 2014 and has since earned her place within the HR community and within the Tourism/Hospitality industry.

And we are also thrilled to introduce Dylan Sunshine Waisman – a new Vancouver based Board Member.  Her maternal family hails from Fiji and the Solomon Islands with family spread across the South Pacific. Her paternal family are Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Sunshine received her law degree with honours in the UK and her Master’s in Law degree with a focus on human rights and migration law. Sunshine currently works to uphold Indigenous rights in the criminal justice system as a Gladue Report Writer, while studying to become an accredited lawyer in Canada, and volunteering on a bi-monthly basis at pro-bono legal clinics in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Learn more about these new Board Members HERE

 PPP also thanks retiring Board members Eli Enns who is now a PPP partner NGO with their Toddler in Nature program, so he is not going too far and we look forward to continuing work with his organization IISAAK OLAM! 

Board member, Rachel Wang, offers a farewell to fellow Board member, Jessica Rutherford: “I regret to inform our members that Jessica Rutherford will be stepping down from her position on the Board due to the demands of her existing strenuous work schedule. As passionate and empathetic global citizens, we often forget how much personal time and energy it takes to meaningfully fulfill our many commitments. While we are sad to see Jessica go, we wholeheartedly support her decision. Having previously worked with Jessica at the World Wildlife Fund in Solomon Islands, it has been a wonderful experience working with her again in Canada towards the same vision: healthy and resilient communities across the South Pacific. The Board thanks Jessica for all her work and hopes our paths will cross again soon.”

PPP is pleased to welcome Cedar Luke. Cedar joined our team as our Intercultural Research Associate by way of his graduating internship placement with us early in 2020. In the last decade, he has lived, studied and worked in Latin America for five years and is graduating in Latin American Studies and Intercultural Education. In a world of beautiful diversity Cedar strives to honor and bridge our differences so we may work together in harmony for all generations to come.

A sad passing –Edmund Kundi Senjiku a Sepik River carver recently passed away, as reported by former PPP Board Member Elaine Monds. Edmund was a young father based in the middle Sepik region of Papua New Guinea.  He was a talented carver who was represented at Elaine’s former business the Alcheringa Gallery.  Edmund died on February 20th, 2020 and his uncle (also a Master Sepik Carver and PPP Friend) Edward Dumoi is taking a collection to help Edmund’s four kids aged 9-3 years old who are mourning for their father. To help or learn more contact Edward: Email: emdumoi@gmail.com or via Mobile: +675 73401336 or +675 73617215 / You can use these phone numbers for his what’s app account.

Featured Partner

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PPP’s Individual donors are our Lifeblood!  Meet a long-time Lifetime Member and Featured Supporter:

Mel Moffat a PPP Lifetime Member

I have enclosed a donation to your PPP Esmonde Endowment Fund.  It feels very “right” for me to make it a substantial amount at this time when I am “able” to do so.  I am now of an age when it is much more important to not put things off.  I think it was SPPF’s involvement in the south pacific anti-nuclear concerns that brought me to SPPF and my meeting Phil [Esmonde], I was greatly saddened when he died. Although I am by no means “wealthy” I felt able to give a bit to a worthy cause at this stage in my life, and the PPP Esmonde Endowment Fund felt very right to me when it was first established and I wanted to “add a bit” to it. – – Melvin Moffat

URGENT APPEAL – Samoa Measles Outbreak December 2019

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Let’s Send Canada’s Love & Support to Samoa

AN URGENT FUNDRAISING APPEAL For Samoa Measles Crisis

Samoa Memorial Service 2019

Updated by Pacific Peoples’ Partnership on December 30, 2019

Our hearts are breaking for Samoa, and Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) requests your help as we try to bring some comfort to the Samoan peoples during the holiday season. We have received firsthand reports from our partner Samoa Social Welfare Fesoasoani Trust about the measles crisis in Samoa. PPP has reviewed footage and photos of young victims and their devastated and grieving families. It is an unbearable tragedy, and the Samoan peoples are in our prayers and actions as we fundraise to support the families.

Our partner Leaula Theresa VH Asiata writes: “Thank you to your organization for thinking of our small nation of the measles outbreak. It is heartbreaking to bury your loved ones especially the young children. I for one was affected by this terrible outbreak, my grandson of 14 months was the first victim of the measles. He passed away on the White Sunday for all the Children of Samoa. … Our organization is opening our doors to the families for counseling and other help towards these families.

Our organization is been volunteering for our Red Cross here in Samoa, so we do have a list of families that their children died from the measles. We are grateful to Pacific Peoples Partnership and especially to your President for this kind contribution to our beautiful Samoa. I know for a fact your President understand and know exactly what our people needs so whatever your organization provide will appreciate, but just a thought small toys for children since its the Christmas time just to uplift the spirit of xmas for these young families who there kids passed away from the measles.”

-Ma lou faaaloalo tele (Kind regards) from the Samoa Social Welfare Fesoasoani Trust (SSWFT)

In a Pacific island nation with just under 200,000 people, everyone has been touched by this medical emergency. As of December 28, 2019, the Government of Samoa reports 5,667 cases of measles, 12 in the last 24 hours, and 81 deaths (mostly children). 95% of the populations has been vaccinated during this state of emergency.

PPP’s President Muavae Va’a, is Samoan and will be travelling to be with Samoan families and provide support. He will be leaving Canada for Samoa on December 31 and will be there until January 13th, 2020. We are urgently collecting donations for the affected families and in support of our partner SSWFT, who is also responding.

To contribute, please make a secure on line donation to #2 Pacific Resilience Fund before December 31, 2019 at: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/pacific-peoples-partnership-association/

To learn more about the Pacific Resilience Fund visit here: https://pacificpeoplespartnership.org/pacific-resilience-fund/

For more news:

PPP President Mua Va’a speaks about the crisis and our campaign on CBC (24:45 in broadcast): https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-43-north-by-northwest/clip/73379-sunday-december-15

“Why my baby?” How measles robbed Samoa of its young: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/world/asia/samoa-measles.html

Tiny Samoa has had nearly 5,000 measles cases. Here’s how it got so bad. https://www.vox.com/2019/12/18/21025920/measles-outbreak-2019-samoa

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Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) is Canada’s sole charity and NGO devoted to the peoples of the South Pacific.  Our President Muavae (Mua) Va’a is Samoan and is planning to head home December 31 to Jan 13, 2020 to provide help and assistance.  PPP is collecting funds to help out the affected families.  Mua will be delivering these Canadian donations directly to Samoan families in need.  We can offer tax deductible receipts through our Pacific Resilience Fund, Donate to campaign #2 HERE

Please help us show that Canadians care by supporting the Samoan peoples as they fight this horrific illness, grieve their unspeakable losses and begin to recover.

Media / Information:

Learn about the Pacific Resilience Funds

CBC The Current https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1654834243876

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/no-reprieve-as-samoa-measles-death-toll-hits-70-1.4721211

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-measles-samoa/decorated-with-butterflies-infant-sized-coffins-sent-to-measles-ravaged-samoa-idUSKBN1YD01J

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-09/anatomy-of-an-epidemic:-how-measles-took-hold-of-samoa/11773018

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-measles-epidemic-in-samoa-is-so-bad-unvaccinated-homes-are-being-marked-with-red

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/12/09/health-travel-advisories-issued-amid-measles-outbreak-samoa-american-samoa/

https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/samoa#health

Pasifik Currents – Winter 2019

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One Wave Gathering 2019 Delegation spends time with Chris Paul on Studio Tour

Talofa Lava PPP Friends and Members, 

Please remember Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) with your donation today! You can do so securely HERE.  Every dollar donated makes a huge difference to PPP. We leverage your donation to secure resources critical to our sustainability and solidarity building programs like the recent One Wave Gathering in Victoria, and knowledge sharing programs like RedTide 2020: International Indigenous Climate Action Summit. Plus this supports our work with HELP Resources, to transform the informal economy in Papua New Guinea.

Enclosed in this edition of Pasifik Currents you will find a treasure trove of impact stories made possible with your support. We hope you enjoy these articles that make tribute to our President Emeritus Dr. Boutilier; acknowledge our many One Wave Gathering collaborators; introduce new climate program partnerships such as with CAYAC; showcase the power of Indigenous solidarity with Maunaukea; and shed light on the escalating human rights crisis faced by our friends and partners in West Papua.   It is also a time of commemoration, join us if you can for our 44th Annual General Meeting on December 10th as we mark International Human Rights Day.

As the only Canadian organization dedicated to the South Pacific, we are honoured to be your partner in ensuring Indigenous and South Pacific peoples are leading the way to a resilient future. Exiting times are coming as we mark our 45th Anniversary with a series of new programs and initiatives. We thank you for all your support, as we have so much more to accomplish together!

Yours in Pacific solidarity,

Mua Va’a, President

April Ingham, Executive Director

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership Briefs:

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Pacific Peoples’ Partnership Annual General Meeting on December 10th, 2019.  Join us on International Human Rights Day for our AGM on Tuesday December 10th from 5:30 – 8:30 pm.  Business will take place from 5:30 – 6:30 pm.  Be sure to make your annual donation or membership contribution in advance of the meeting to ensure you are qualified to vote… plus we need and welcome your support always!  Renew for a minimum of $15 here.     For more details RSVP your Ticket HERE

West Papua Task Force Created: PPP and friends have initiated a task force to respond to escalating violence and human rights violations in the region. If you are interested to get involved and learn more, check out our recent Call for Action

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For 45 years, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership has supported the aspirations of South Pacific Islanders and Indigenous peoples for peace, environmental sustainability, social justice and community development.

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