Vidawa Village has been challenged by the impacts of the climate crisis for many years.

Faced with the growing threat of flooding and rising tides, this resilient community is taking matters into its own hands and embarking on a slow but determined journey to a new location. However, the villagers are well aware of the significant changes this move will bring to their way of life.

Village Headman Remesio Uga expresses his sadness that the old site is no longer a safe option, given the adverse effects of the climate catastrophe.

“We are relocating our community by ourselves up on the hill. Several houses are being built there now. We are disallowing houses to be built here because when it rains, it floods, and when there’s a king tide, water comes into the village.”

The 63-year-old adds that the climate catastrophe has brought with it a host of challenges that are not only disruptive but potentially life-threatening. Vidawa Village is located over an hour away from Taveuni’s main hospital, making the situation even more dangerous.

“There are health risks when it rains here like dengue fever, leptos and typhoid and other deadly diseases. This whole village floods, you can even run a small boat inside our village when it rains. Rising sea level is not only happening on the shoreline we can no longer dig more than 3 feet because there’s water beyond that.”

Pelasio Vakarorogo says young men like him are encouraged to build their new homes at the new site.

“I have been hearing about the need for the village to move since I was a child. It was just last year when our community leaders finally decided for us to permanently move up.”

Vakarorogo says they’re in survival mode as they need to prioritize safety, but he admits that he is sad if they lose more than just their home to this shift.

“We are worried about what life would be like there and the impact that it can have on our i-Taukei community because there are a lot of adjustments to make in the way we live and interact with each other, build our homes, and find food. It is a big change, but one that needs to happen.”

In an effort to adapt to their new environment, Vakarorogo has initiated a freshwater fish farming project just three minutes away from the new village site. This marks a significant departure from their long-standing tradition of consuming seawater fish and underscores the extent of the changes they must embrace.

As Vidawa Village and many other communities like it grapple with the harsh realities of climate change, their resilience and determination to secure their future serve as a poignant reminder of the urgent need for global climate action.

This story was produced with the support of Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.