Ursula Rakova’s Story

Ursula Rakova comes from the Carteret Islands of Papua New Guinea. The Carteret Islands are located just above Australia. They consist of 6 small islands that make up one atoll.

Around 2,700 people live on the Carteret Islands. Their way of life and survival have been under threat due to the effects of climate change.

Ursula is the leader of an organisation called Tulele Peisa. Tulele Peisa means ‘sailing in the wind on our own’ and it exists to help Carteret Islanders adapt to a changing environment.

Ursula says that the sea has taken 60-70 metres of land. Strong winds are becoming more frequent and harder to predict.

Some staple food, like giant swamp taro, are being lost as the sea water floods the land and kills the soil and the trees.

Schools on the islands are sometimes forced to close because children are not getting enough food to focus on their learning.

Ursula’s great grandmother grew up when the Islands were a paradise. Unfortunately Ursula, her daughter, and grand daughter will remember it as a home that is disappearing.

With the help of Caritas and other agencies, Ursula and many of her people have taken their future into their own hands and found a solution.

In 2006, Tulele Peisa was set up. An agreement was made with Bougainville (the island of PNG furthest east). Four land areas were made available for Carteret Islanders to begin new lives in a place called Tinputz.

Since 2009, Ursula and her people have constructed new homes, grown food crops, and planted new trees in Tinputz.

Cocoa and coconut are some of the main cash crops in Tinputz. Caritas provided a dryer for their cocoa beans and has also assisted in training staff.

Those remaining on the islands supply fish to those on Bougainville, while those on the mainland provide vegetables and other food crops in return.

“We are trying to give our islanders new hope.” - Ursula Rakova

‘When I started this programme, I was really, really angry about what my people were going through. But over the years I realised... I’ve got to tell the world: this is happening and we are all in this together... We’ve got to protect Mother Earth, and we will all have to do it together.’ - Ursula Rakova Photo Credits: Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand and Caritas Internationalis