Needs Assessment Survey on persons with disabilities in Tonga

Outline About the survey Reach Gender Age Focus Area 3. Findings Shelter Status Needs Employment Assistive Devices Needs Humanitarian Response 4. Acknowledgement

About the Survey The Survey Name TC GITA Needs Assessment Survey on Persons with Disabilities in Tonga Period The survey was carried from the 1 March 2018 to 7 March 2018 The Survey The survey is funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) with technical support from the Pacific Disability Forum and CBM NZ. The survey was done to find out the situations of persons with disabilities after TC Gita and assess how they were part of the response and rehabilitation processes during and after the cyclone. The Enumerators The survey was carried out by Naunau o’e Alamaite Tonga Association (NATA), Tonga National Visual Impairments Association (TNVIA) and Ministry of Internal Affairs Social Protection and Disability. There were 6 teams of Enumerators two from each organisations. The 4 teams from the DPOs were all made up of persons with disabilities with the two government teams was made up of the MIA SPD division staff

Survey Reach Focus Areas The Survey was carried out in the island of Tongatapu Focused Population All people surveyed in the assessment are persons with disabilities. There were 230 persons with disabilities that was surveyed in the assessment

Total Surveyed Population by Gender Out of the 230 persons with disabilities that was assessed, 103 were Female and 127 were male, and they are all living in Tongatapu

Total Surveyed Population by Age Out of the 230 persons with disabilities that was assessed 182 were above the age of 18, 33 were children who were 17 years and below and 15 do not know their age nor date of birth. Out of the 182 adults assessed 84 were females and 98 were males, Out of the 33 children assessed 12 were girls and 21 were boys. For those with no date of birth nor age 7 were females and 8 were males

Findings – Shelter Status Out of the 230 persons with disabilities assessed 145 of them their shelter is partially damaged, 16 are completely destroyed and 69 still have their homes intact.

Shelter Status by Gender Out of the 16 persons with disabilities whose homes were completely destroyed 12 were male and 4 were females, for the 145 houses that were partially damaged 80 were male and 65 were females

Basic Needs Assessment In terms of basic needs assessment 54% needs shelter, 79% needs water, 78% need food, 50% need clothes, 69% need First Aid Medicines, 74% need Hygiene and Sanitary Kits, 15% need Counselling/ Psychosocial Support, 32% need livelihood tools

Assistive Devices Needs Persons with disabilities need replacement of assistive devices that were damaged or broken during the cyclone Persons with disabilities need assistive devices, however some of them could not afford it Persons with disabilities would need these devices to support them live independently in society

Humanitarian Assistance Out of the 230 persons with disabilities that was assessed 103 did not receive humanitarian assistance while 127 do receive humanitarian assistance as of 7 March 2018. Out of the 103 that did not received the assistance 56 were male and 47 were females.

Employment Status Out of the 230 that were surveyed 217 were unemployed and 13 are engaged in formal employment. Out of the 217 that were unemployed 118 are male while 99 are female. For the 13 that are employed 9 are males while 4 are females

General Findings Access to safe water is one of the needs highlighted by persons with disabilities. Most of them only rely on tap water which in most areas they feel is still unsafe to drink. Therefore, they need tank to help them collect rain water for their drinking water. For those with water tanks they need it to be cleaned and purified before they can start using it again to access safe drinking water Toilet facilities – Most persons with disabilities are sharing toilet facilities with their relatives and neighbors as their own toilet and bathroom facilities were destroyed during the cyclone. In most cases they find it hard to bath or use the toilet facilities as it is either inaccessible or it will be busy due to the number of people sharing the facility Most persons with disabilities still in need of food, water and shelter Most assistive devices are broken and other livelihood tools either damaged or destroyed during the cyclone Most of the shelter is either partially damaged or completely destroyed and they are in need of materials to repair their houses or rebuild their homes as some of them are currently leaving in one corner of their damaged homes with Tapuline and makeshift shelter. Some of them is literally bathing and using toilets or cooking with no roof on its head, no doors and no walls. Accessibility is one of the major barrier faced by persons with disabilities in accessing services across all sectors

Acknowledgement We would like to acknowledge the following organisations for ensuring that this survey was conducted: MFAT New Zealand – For Funding the needs assessment survey on persons with disabilities in Tonga NEMO – For the logistical support provided in trying to ensure that this survey are approved Statistics Department for approving the survey and for their understanding and recognizing the need for this assessment to be done Ministry of Internal Affairs (Social Protection and Disability) – For the support in ensuring that this work is completed and for providing their staff to be part of the team of enumerators in conducting the survey. NATA and TNVIA for providing their members to be enumerators for the survey and for all the coordination, logistical and human resource support provided that ensures the completion of the work. PDF and CBM NZ for the technical support in implementing the assessment in Tonga

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