Needs assessments are now coming in, following the Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption in Tonga.

New Zealand aid charities are already responding and running appeals to support the work of their Tongan partners and colleagues on the ground.

“We are seeing a huge amount of generosity in New Zealand to support the Tongan community during this crisis. One of the best ways the public can help is by donating funds to reputable and experienced humanitarian response organisations wo have existing partnerships with Tongan community groups,” says Aaron Davy, Humanitarian Manager at Council for International Development (CID).

The following New Zealand aid charities are working through local Tongan organisations. An updated list of appeals and response information is available on the CID website.

• Caritas Aotearoa – working with Caritas Tonga
• TearFund – working with Tonga National Council of Churches
• Oxfam – working with Tonga National Youth Council, Tonga National Council of Churches (TNCC), Ma'a Fafine mo e Famili Inc. (MFF), and Tonga Leitis Association (TLA)
• ChildFund – supporting Red Cross
• Rotary – working with MORDI (Mainstreaming of Rural Development Innovation Tonga Trust), and Mango Tree Centre
• Habitat for Humanity – working with Caritas Tonga
• ADRA – working with Seventh-Day Adventist Church Tonga
• Christian World Service – working with Tonga Community Development Trust, and Ama Takiloa network of women's groups
• Anglican Missions – working with Anglican Church of Tonga
• Christian Blind Mission (cbm) – working with Naunau o’e Alamaite Tonga Association (NATA), Tonga National Visual Impairment Association (TNVIA), and Lavame’ata’e’iloa Association (LATA)
• Volunteer Service Abroad – working with Vaiola Hospital, Mai E Nima (‘Give Me Five’), and ‘Uluaki Faiako Cooperation Society
• Save the Children – working with Tonga Council of Directors of Education System (TCDES)
• World Vision

“Kiwi support of these appeals is immediately transferred to direct support and resources for our local partners on the ground. They are the people who best know what the needs are, and how to respond. We know that no other type of donation can match the assistance provided from giving cash”.

Remittances also play a critical role following an emergency in the Pacific.

“We urge banks and money-transference businesses to support humanitarian responses, by temporarily wavering transaction costs or keeping them at less than 3% during an emergency response and removing bureaucratic barriers for already stressed families trying to send cash to family overseas.”

Watch for this CID Code ‘Tick’ to signify to donors and the public that these CID-member aid agencies have met the accountability standards expected by the public.

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