Habitat for Humanity

The students from the Tonga Institute of Science and Technology will receive hands-on training on building resilient homes.

Habitat for Humanity Chief Executive Officer Alan Thorp said 12 new homes will be rebuilt across Tongatapu, 'Eua and Ha'apai.

The charity has assisted in repairing and building over 800 homes in Tonga since 2016.

Photo file  Caption: Houses in Tonga destroyed by the January 2022 volcanic eruption and tsunami 

CEO Claire Szabo said a pilot project of eight homes in Tonga built by Habitat for Humanity came through the cyclone well with only minor cosmetic damage.

Ms Szabo claimed that the resilience of those homes and the agency's progress in repairing and constructing 500 homes in both Samoa and New Zealand as evidence of the programme's success.

According to her, teaching the families building and construction skills was a vital component in the rebuild.

A statement said the New Zealand charity’s CEO Claire Szabo was in Nukualofa to meet with Government of the Kingdom of Tonga Deputy Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni to sign a memorandum of understanding.

Ms Szabo said the agreement was focused on a commitment to the families of Tonga.

RNZI reports the global charity, which specialises in building houses, said the move was prompted by a discussion with Tonga's Deputy Prime Minister in New Zealand last week.

Habitat New Zealand's CEO, Claire Szabo, said they had a track record of building cyclone resilient homes in Fiji and Samoa, and the time was right to bring those skills to Tonga.

The global shelter charity operates in more than 70 countries, but Fiji is currently the only Pacific nation with a permanent Habitat for Humanity presence.

“In a world where 1.6 billion people live in sub-standard shelter, keeping the Pacific Islands on the international organisation's agenda has been a longstanding commitment for our New Zealand team,” Szabó said.

“We’ve collaborated with our Australian and Fijian colleagues to ensure other parts of the Pacific are remembered.”