#TAGTONGA to assist the diaspora in supporting the recovery of Tonga.

Affirming Works (AW) is devastated by the recent tsunami caused by the underwater volcano eruption in Tonga. Despite communications being down, we are preparing for response and recovery through the re-establishment of our team based in Tonga. The AW founders lived and worked in Tonga before Covid-19 for more than 15 years and set up the Tupu’anga factory in Tonga. It consists of a cafe and manufactures Tongan grown products, including coffee, vanilla, and vegetable chips. Tupu’anga has over 20 staff employed and over 25 farmer co-operatives it works closely with from all around Tongatapu.

#TAGTONGA is a community-led aid initiative set up by AW in New Zealand with staff on the ground in Tonga to ensure your donation is directly given to your cause to rebuild Tonga.

AW has reactivated its #TAGTONGA initiative to support the people of Tonga and help them recover and rebuild. #TAGTONGA was set up in 2018 as a way for our Pacific diaspora and friends to give directly to families and friends in our island nations. #TAGTONGA allowed this support for Tonga after being hit by Cyclone Gita in 2018 and Cyclone Harold in 2020. In 2019 in response to the Samoa measles epidemic, AW initiated #TAGSAMOA and partnered with SoulTalk Samoa for mental health and counselling support.

#TAGTONGA enables people to determine the destination of their donation. Donors can TAG a village, family and the purpose of their contribution through a specific cause or project. AW will provide evidence of direct spending and reporting to our aid partners to enable transparency and accountability of donations made.

We understand that the villages of Sopu, Kolomotua, Kolofo'ou, Ma'ufanga, Patangata, and Kanokupolu and the lands around Vuna Rd have been severely impacted. Family members in villages such as Fanga and Havelu have been contacted by satellite phone, indicating that they were not as severely hit as the towns described above.

#TAGTONGA provides a direct donor option for those in New Zealand and abroad wanting to make a monetary donation to our families and friends in Tonga. For example, we have received word that our friends, Moana and Hola Paea, had survived the tsunami with only the clothes on their backs. If you would like to Tag the Paea family, please do so.

When you donate to Give A Little on the TAGTONGA site, please write on the message for your donation to whom you would like to donate - should you wish to 'tag a destination, family, or purpose’. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to email our #TAGTONGA team at office@affirmingworks.org.nz, and they will provide you with any assistance.