More than 150 villages and communities in eight countries were involved in the participatory assessments of hardship.

Despite their diverse situations, there was a surprising degree of consistency in the perceptions, needs, and priorities of the people interviewed.  In addition to a lack of economic and employment opportunities, hardship was perceived to be the result of poor education, a lack of access to land for gardens or cash crops, poor access to good water and sanitation facilities, poor health, and living alone or depending on others.  

The people further felt that hardship was the result of government failure to meet their real needs.  Their priorities for alleviation addressed the three principal causes of hardship, i.e., lack of employment and economic opportunities; lack of access to basic services, especially health care and education; and lack of responsiveness of governments to the needs of the people.

Although they are urbanising, Pacific societies are still very much oriented towards rural and outer island subsistence agricultural lifestyles. Traditionally there has been little need for cash income. This is changing, however. Fees for education, health care, and other government services; the wider availability of power and communication facilities; and expanding retail businesses and preferences for imported foods and consumer goods have all led to greater demands for cash. 

For urban dwellers with little access to subsistence production, the need for an income is even greater. In both rural and urban communities traditional social and community obligations also increasingly involve money in addition to more traditional gifts.

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Useful links:

• The Pacific Regional Poverty Programme

• The Regional Poverty Assessment and Analysis Already Undertaken

1. The Priorities of the People

2. The National Strategies and a Framework for the Future

• Hardship and Poverty in the Pacific: A SUMMARY

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Fiji Islands   The unstable political situation in Fiji, coupled with a young population, increasing migration to the urban centers and overseas, and weak international markets for sugar and kava, poses serious challenges to improving basic services, job opportunities, and the standard of living. To better understand the nature of hardship in Tuvalu, the government undertook a Participatory Assessment of Hardship in 2003 with assistance from the Asian Development Bank. The assessment identified the needs and priorities of people living in communities throughout the country with different levels of access to services such as education, health, markets, transportation, water, and sanitation.   Priorities of the People: Hardship in the Fiji Islands (pdf 1369ko, 17 pages)

Marshall Islands   In the Marshall Islands, many people are facing hardship, and the problem seems to be getting worse. Two thirds of outer-islanders live on less than $1 a day, while social conditions on Majuro and Ebeye are declining.   The government recognizes that it needs to better understand the nature of hardship in the country and develop ways to address it. So in 2002, the government led a “Participatory Assessment on Hardship” to find out the needs, views, and hopes of communities living throughout the country, especially the disadvantaged and poor themselves.   Ten sample communities were selected to represent both rural and urban areas and differing levels of access to services. One-on-one interviews, small group discussions, questionnaires, and case studies were used during the assessment to gather information from people in these communities, and discussions were held with government representatives and social, religious, and nongovernment organizations. The assessment was funded by the Asian Development Bank.   Priorities of the People: Hardship in the Marshall Islands (pdf 1301ko/11 page)

Papua New Guinea In modern-day Papua New Guinea, life is very difficult for poor people. Poverty is robbing people of their dignity, their potential, and in some cases, their very lives. To effectively address this problem, it is necessary to understand it from the people's point of view and find out what their priorities are for solving it. A series of community consultations, workshops, and interviews were held to find out people's views of what poverty is, what causes it, who is poor, and what can be done to alleviate it in the country. The results of this "Participatory Poverty Assessment" are presented, along with photographs and personal stories.   Priorities of the Poor in Papua New Guinea (pdf 872ko/20 pages)

Samoa   In spite of Samoa’s tropical abundance and culture of helping one another, some Samoans are living in difficult conditions and facing real hardship.     To address this, the government has undertaken a successful reform program and achieved positive economic growth in recent years. In 2002, the government initiated a “Participatory Assessment on Hardship” to further promote involvement of communities in government policy and decision making. Samoans from all walks of life, especially those facing hardship, were asked to describe hardship from their point of view and suggest the most important priority actions to improve their lives. Community consultations, workshops, and interviews were held with people from 10 communities (villages and settlements) on Upolu Island and 6 villages on Savaii Island.   The Treasury Department and Ministry of Internal Affairs led the effort and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) financed the assessment.   Is Hardship Really a Problem in Samoa? (pdf 727ko/20 pages)

Tonga The unstable political situation in Fiji, coupled with a young population, increasing migration to the urban centers and overseas, and weak international markets for sugar and kava, poses serious challenges to improving basic services, job opportunities, and the standard of living.   To better understand the nature of hardship in Tuvalu, the government undertook a Participatory Assessment of Hardship in 2003 with assistance from the Asian Development Bank. The assessment identified the needs and priorities of people living in communities throughout the country with different levels of access to services such as education, health, markets, transportation, water, and sanitation.   Priorities of the People: Hardship in Tonga (pdf 2.18 Mo/11 pages)

Tuvalu   Times are now getting hard for many Tuvaluans. Government revenues have recently declined, resulting in economic difficulties and the likelihood of lower incomes for many.   To better understand the nature of hardship in Tuvalu, the government undertook a Participatory Assessment of Hardship in mid-2003 with assistance from the Asian Development Bank.   The assessment identified the needs and priorities of people living in communities throughout the country with different levels of access to services such as education, health, markets, transportation, water, and sanitation. Priorities of the People: Hardship in Tuvalu  (pdf 410ko/21 pages)

Vanuatu   Some Ni-Vanuatu are living in difficult conditions and facing real hardship as modernization strains the traditional system of sharing food and goods between all members of the community.    To better understand hardship in Vanuatu, the government initiated a “Participatory Hardship Assessment” in 2002. Ni-Vanuatu from all walks of life, especially the poor, were asked to describe poverty and hardship from their point of view and suggest the most important priority actions to improve their lives. Interviews were held at the household level, and focus group discussions and workshops were held with the communities.   The Department of Economic and Social Development led the effort to consult with traditional and elected officials and women and youth leaders in 12 village and settlement communities. The assessment was funded by the Asian Development Bank.   Priorities of the People: Hardship in Vanuatu (pdf 71ko/4 pages)

 

For further information, please contact:

• David Abbott, Poverty Specialist and Development Economist.

David has more than 25 years of experience working in the region and has been responsible for the preparation of eight of the country poverty assessments.

• A Social Development Analyst and Participatory Poverty Assessment Specialist will be appointed soon.