Fua‘amotu Moves Toward Community-Led Development After Years of Watching Neighbors Advance

10 Dec Fua‘amotu Moves Toward Community-Led Development After Years of Watching Neighbors Advance

On the evening of April 7, 2021, the newly appointed Community Council of Fua‘amotu convened its first major meeting under the leadership of Chairman Tevita Tukunga. Representatives from Local Government and MORDI Tonga were invited to attend, signaling a renewed commitment by the community to chart its development path after years of stalled attempts.

For more than a decade, residents of Fua‘amotu have watched neighboring communities transform through structured planning and targeted rural development programs. These efforts—guided by Community Development Plans (CDPs) and supported by Local Government and MORDI Tonga—began under the first phase of the Tonga Rural Innovation Project (TRIP I), which worked with 60 communities. In its second phase, TRIP II now engages 122 communities across the country.

While nearby villages flourished, Fua‘amotu struggled to establish a similar model. Past efforts to initiate a coordinated development process fell short, leaving residents eager but unable to move forward. The contrast with surrounding communities, many of which have become champions of rural development through TRIP I and II, underscored the urgency for change.

That turning point appears to have arrived. At Wednesday’s meeting, Fua‘amotu residents formally sought assistance from Local Government, with MORDI Tonga prepared to act as facilitator through TRIP II. The gathering served as a plenary session to establish consensus on the community’s organizational structure and next steps.

Home to a large and diverse population, Fua‘amotu is divided into eight blocks. The Community Council’s immediate task is to organize these blocks so the village can meet the criteria required to begin TRIP engagement. This includes achieving at least 80 percent adult participation in decision-making meetings—a benchmark designed to ensure broad and equitable representation of men, women, youth, and people with disabilities in all phases of planning.

Once organized, the community will proceed with the first stage of CDP formulation, joining dozens of other rural communities that have embraced locally driven development. Officials say Fua‘amotu’s decision to reinitiate the process demonstrates the growing influence of community success stories throughout Tonga, where villages that participated in earlier TRIP phases now serve as models for others seeking sustainable, inclusive development.

As the community prepares to take its first steps, Fua‘amotu stands as a reminder that when villages take ownership of their future, development becomes not only possible but transformative.