El Niño early impacts — Timor-Leste and Pacific
Above: In Bobonaro, Timor-Leste, Australian Humanitarian Partnership NGO World Vision has supported 10 communities across four villages to protect their water springs from contamination, and to improve access, through the Disaster READY program. The AHP El Niño response will build on this preparedness work. Photo: Domingos de Araujo / World Vision
The El Niño Preparedness Fund leveraged the existing footprint of the Disaster READY program to support Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu and Timor-Leste to prepare for the anticipated impacts of an El Niño weather system.
Climate-related hazards and disasters were predicted to intensify in the wake of El Niño in 2024, and the AUD 2.4 million preparedness fund was accompanied by AUD 600,000 of flexible funding to support response.
Across all 5 Disaster READY countries, the preparedness fund supported activities such as the formation of new community disaster committees, community preparedness plans, livelihood and food security initiatives such as climate-resilient agriculture training, cash and voucher distribution, improved water access and increased knowledge and awareness of disaster preparedness and protection issues. Activities had a particular focus on drought preparedness and climate resilient livelihoods.
The AHP Response
The AHP response included an AUD $2.4 million investment in immediate preparedness activities and $600,000 in pre-positioned response funding for the region.
Activities were led by AHP partners engaged in the Disaster READY program across Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu and Timor-Leste.
Activities included:
Timor-Leste: repair and improvements to water infrastructure; food security and livelihoods initiatives such as the provision of drought-resilient vegetable and crop seeds and training on resilient agricultural practices such as terracing and composting; scaling up support to Village Savings and Loans Associations to enhance economic resilience; and increasing community knowledge and understanding on how to conserve water and deal with the drought.
Fiji: communities were supported to develop drought response plans, learn about resilient agricultural techniques, and to rehabilitate forests in catchment areas. Psychosocial support training helped communities cope with the impacts of El Niño weather events.
PNG: cash and voucher distribution supported community drought preparedness, community drought response plans with a focus on the needs of women, youth and people with disabilities were created, climate smart agriculture training, community nutrition education and awareness-raising supported resilience.
Solomon Islands: community drought response plans were created and new WASH facilities supported.
Vanuatu: installation of water wells in dry areas, support to establish and continue community kitchens that commenced during the Tropical Cyclone Lola response.
All six AHP lead ANGOs participated in the response.
The $600,000 response fund supported the AHP to activate quickly if any of the five countries above face a crisis or disaster due to the El Niño system. It was activated two times.
The East Gaua Drought Response (AUD 100,000) in Vanuatu ran from October 2024 to May 2025, led by World Vision. On Gaua, the second largest island in Torba province, traditional rainwater harvesting systems and wells had dried up due to low rainfall, and communities were facing high levels of water scarcity. The response focused on distributing essential WASH resources such as jerry cans and hygiene kits, as well as developing a sustainable water supply solution for the island.
The Bougainville Atolls Drought Response (AUD 500,000) in Papua New Guinea ran from April-October 2025. CARE led the response, which aimed to address severe water scarcity in the remote atolls and islands off the northern coast of Bougainville. The lack of clean water was also impacting food security. The response targeted emergency water and food supply, as well as WASH infrastructure such as water tanks and rainwater capture systems.