Ursula Rakova, the founder of the Tulele Peisa, showing the efforts of their team planting a mini-forest on the Carteret Islands.
Tulele Peisa and the Young Rangers have been working hard since 2011, planting 100,000 trees to build resilience and mitigate climate change. JCJ have been long-term supporters of theirs and are happy whenever we can share news of what they are achieving.
Ursula Rakova, executive director of Tulele Peisa, says they aim to plant 500,000 trees, and the mini-forest they’ve created is already making an impact – it has had rain when the surrounding areas have not.
In July 2023, they built stone fences to protect mangrove seedlings from rising sea levels. It’s inspiring to see a small group make a big difference!
Young Rangers building stone fences for the protection of mangrove seedlingsYoung Rangers building stone fences for the protection of mangrove seedlingsMangrove seedlings, that help prevent erosion and flooding, require protection while they grow large enough not to be washed away.
For several years now JCJ has helped fund initiatives for the Tulele Peisa, the organisation helping relocate Carteret Islanders from their climate change threatened atolls to the larger island of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.
The Carteret Islanders on their homeland of low lying atolls. (Tulele Peisa)
Our support in 2016, 2018 & 2019 was centred around funding the establishment of cocoa farms which allowed the islanders to make a living on their new land. They have purchased cocoa seedlings, powered their administration building & tractors, ran workshops around cocoa farming, financial literacy & climate change adaptation with JCJ funds. They also constructed raised garden beds on the atolls to prevent saltwater intrusion from ruining crops for the people still living there.Â
Top & Middle Left: Workshops at community centre, Right: Planting cocoa saplings, Bottom Left: Drying first crop of cocoa beans.
This last project was all but wiped out by immense king tides in February 2021, a devastating and visible consequence of climate change.
In June 2021, we funded a chartered boat to provide plants, seedlings, and food to the 2,700 people who still inhabit the island. Moved by the Islanders’ predicament, the JCJ committee used some of their personal money to fund the charter, with the remainder of the contribution coming out of JCJ’s project fund. Watch them preparing supplies here >>
JCJ continued to support Tulele Peisa, the organisation helping relocate Carteret Islanders from their climate change-threatened atolls to the larger island Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. With this round of support, the Tulele Peisa purchased cocoa seedlings and ran workshops on cocoa farming, climate change adaptation, and financial literacy. They also constructed raised garden beds on the atolls to prevent saltwater intrusion from ruining crops for the people still living there.
JCJ partnered with concert pianist Elyane Laussade to raise funds to aid the Carteret Islanders. They needed help building a new life in Bougainville, as their homelands of small atolls are threatened by rising sea levels. The money helped power their administration building and fuel their tractor to distribute cocoa seedlings to their farmers. Cocoa farming allows the islanders to make a living on their new land.
JCJ supported the relocation of the Carteret Islanders through contacts at Friends of the Earth. The Carteret Islanders are some of the world’s first refugees from rising seas and coastal erosion, as the atolls have a maximum elevation of 1.5m above sea level. There are approximately 2,700 people living on the islands who are undertaking a voluntary relocation program, moving to the larger island of Bougainville, PNG. JCJ’s support was used to purchase cocoa seedlings to start a means to earn income on their Bougainville plot of land.Â
