Reading a report titled “Education development challenges and potential for flexible & open learning in Tuvalu for Department of Education Ministry of Education Youth & Sports “(COL, 2016) prompted me to search for more information that maybe available online. I began by doing a search on youtube, all I could find are references to climate change, and after watching a few documentaries, I realised how horrible it is to be an Islander and witnessing the destruction of the land of your fore fathers.
A Pacific Islanders greatest identity is the land. I watched the President of Kiribati plead the first world countries for recognition of their plight and for immediate action which seem to be falling on deaf ears. In facing this realisation, His Excellency, President Anote Tong of Kiribati, is realistic in his approach and has come up with the term “Migrate with Dignity”. In true spirit of a son of the Pacific community, he focuses on preparing his people for the inevitable, migration but as a people prepared to meet the challenges in their new homes. I am motivated by his coining of the phrase “Migrate with Dignity”, that PACFOLD has a direct responsibility to our people facing this horrible reality, to support , advice, consult and work with their leaders in seeing that their transition is comfortable with their dignity in tact.