Building resilience: commitment to communities on the front lines of climate change

When Tropical Cyclone Winston made landfall in Fiji in February 2016, more than a decade ago, Environmental Health Officer Asena Nasaroa wasn’t thinking about herself.

In the darkness, with wind, rain and rising water all around her, she held tightly to her younger sister’s hand. Her sister, who lives with Down syndrome, could not explain how she felt – but Asena knew she was afraid.

“My only priority was getting my sister to safety,” she recalls. “I wasn’t scared for myself. I was scared that she might die.”

They swam through floodwaters to reach higher ground, navigating debris and strong currents. Once they arrived, Asena immediately shifted focus.

“After that, it was just the response.”

As the only environmental health officer stationed at Lomaloma Hospital, on Vanuabalavu Island in Northern Lau in Fiji’s Eastern Division, Asena was responsible for around 2500 people spread across several islands and in more than 30 different villages in the aftermath of the cyclone.

Due to the cyclone, Asena lost her home. But she didn’t stop to process that.

“I didn’t think about where I was going to stay,” she says. “I was focused on which communities were affected and what needed to be done to prevent outbreaks.”

With support from her husband Chris, who took care of their family, she was able to continue working on the front lines – assessing needs, restoring water safety, and helping communities recover.

Only later did she begin to reflect on the emotional toll of surviving such an extreme weather event.

“I didn’t realize how much it affected me until recently,” she says.

Her experience highlights the incredible dedication of health workers to serve their communities in the face of a changing climate.

Watch Asena's story

A life shaped by community

Asena grew up in the rural community of Buca Village in Fiji, the second of five daughters in a family where daily life revolved around farming. Childhood included helping their parents in the fields which built resilience, discipline and a deep connection to community.

“Stepping into a village now feels like stepping into my own home,” she says.

That sense of familiarity shapes her work today.

As an environmental health officer, she supports communities across rural and remote areas, often navigating traditional structures, building trust, and working closely with local leaders to improve water, sanitation and hygiene, ensure food safety, and prevent disease outbreaks.

Her role is broad and ever-changing. “It’s never the same every day,” she explains. “We respond to outbreaks, disasters, water safety issues.”

^{Asena and her father harvest root crops together at the family farm.}^{Photo credit © WHO /}^{Jason Chute}	^{Asena with her family in her childhood backyard.}^{Photo credit © WHO /}^{Jason Chute}
^{Environmental Health Officers cross a river to reach a community.}^{Photo credit © WHO /}^{Jason Chute}	^{Asena supports communities across rural and remote areas.}^{Photo credit © WHO /}^{Jason Chute}

Climate change: a growing and complex challenge

The increasing impacts of climate change have added another layer of complexity to ensuring community health.

“Climate change is in everything we do now,” Asena says. “It’s the common factor.”

In communities, its impacts are already visible. Water sources that once sustained villages no longer meet demand. Crops that families relied on for generations are failing, forcing shifts in diets and livelihoods. Weather patterns have become increasingly unpredictable.

But explaining climate change is not always straightforward.

“Climate change is too big of a word,” she says. “People can’t always relate to it.”

Instead, Asena connects it to everyday realities like changes in rainfall, mosquito patterns, or food availability to help communities see how these shifts are affecting their health.

“When they understand why something is changing, they take ownership. That’s the most rewarding part of my job,” Asena shares.

Three women conduct a community water assessment. ^{Conducting a community water assessment with the environmental health team.}^{Photo credit © WHO /}^{Jason Chute}

Two women and one man sit on a mat and have a meeting.
^{Asena discusses the results of the water assessment with the community leader and environmental health officers.}^{Photo credit © WHO /}^{Jason Chute}

In Fiji, the Strengthening Health Adaptation Project: Responding to Climate Change in Fiji (SHAPE), a multi-year initiative funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and implemented in partnership with WHO and the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services, has invested in strengthening the health system to be more climate-resilient in several ways.

Through a multi-pronged approach, the SHAPE project has addressed the broad impact of climate change on health.

For instance, six health facilities within the Northern Division, where Asena is based, have had solar panels installed to support continuous service delivery and in turn help to reduce their environmental footprint.

Environmental health officers, including Asena, have also had the opportunity to attend peer sharing symposiums and receive training on managing health risks linked to climate change.

Driven by purpose

Asena, like so many health workers, is driven by purpose.

Across Fiji and the Pacific, health workers are on the front lines of climate and health, helping communities understand and adapt to changes.

As climate change continues to impact communities and increase health risks, Asena knows her work will keep evolving. What motivates her most is seeing change happen.

“When someone tells me they finally understand why they should make a change [that improves their health] – that’s everything,” she says. “There’s no dollar value to that.”

For Asena, the mission is clear: to ensure that even in the face of growing challenges, communities are informed, resilient, and supported.

The mission of WHO in the Pacific is also clear: to support governments in building climate-resilient health systems, ensuring dedicated health workers like Asena have the resources and tools they need to continue caring for communities amid a changing climate.

And, not least, empowering communities to take charge of their own health and well-being.