Empowering Indigenous School Communities: OECS and New Zealand Announce Successful Completion of Climate Resilience Project

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, through its Education Development Management Unit (EDMU), has successfully concluded the “Capacity Development for Disaster-Resilient Schools in Indigenous Communities” project. Funded by New Zealand under its High Commission Fund for the Caribbean, this targeted initiative has fortified school infrastructure, provided critical emergency response tools, and trained local stakeholders to support educational continuity in climate-vulnerable indigenous regions of the Commonwealth of Dominica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Spanning from July 01, 2025, to July 20, 2026, the project directly addressed physical and operational vulnerabilities at two primary institutions: Atkinson Primary School in the Kalinago Territory, Commonwealth of Dominica and Sandy Bay Government School in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Because these schools are an integral part of their respective communities and provide shelter and safety during natural disasters, keeping them strong keeps the whole community safe.

Fortifying Infrastructure and Emergency Readiness

Through close collaboration and consultation with the Ministries of Education and national emergency management agencies in the Commonwealth of Dominica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the project delivered high-impact structural works and critical equipment tailored to each school’s unique climate risks. Key achievements include the following actions:

● Atkinson Primary School, Commonwealth of Dominica: To mitigate chronic yard flooding, contractors dug a new 100-foot drainage system. They also built and installed custom wooden doors to better protect the school from hurricane-force winds.

● Sandy Bay Government School, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Water security was dramatically enhanced through the provision of two new water storage tanks and plumbing. Additionally, a heavy-duty chainsaw was provided for immediate, community-led disaster debris clearance.

With the completion of the “Capacity Development for Disaster-Resilient Schools in Indigenous Communities” project, both schools have now been fully equipped with robust emergency communication and backup power packages (including portable gasoline generators), solar lighting, and PA systems to keep operations running and support community programs during power or network failures.

Measurable Capacity Growth and Localised Knowledge

Crucial to the project’s sustainability was a series of rigorous, two-day face-to-face workshops facilitated by local experts, Ms Joian Coipel in Dominica and Dr Idelia Ferdinand in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. These workshops translated regional guidelines into hands-on school emergency protocols, and tested the schools’ disaster plans through intensive isolation simulation exercises.

The capacity-building efforts yielded exceptional, measurable results:

A total of 36 local stakeholders, including school administrators, teachers, support staff, and community leaders, were successfully trained.
Participants demonstrated a 15.5% average gain in disaster risk management knowledge between pre- and post-workshop assessments.
90% of key stakeholders reported a substantial increase in their confidence regarding school safety post-intervention.

Additionally, the OECS Commission’s EDMU hosted an Education Team Sensitisation meeting to integrate these outputs with the Climate Smart Education Systems Initiative (CSESI) to ensure long-term regional impact of the project’s outputs.

Reflecting on the project’s impact, Dr Didacus Jules, Director General of the OECS, stated:

“This project is a tangible manifestation of our commitment to Strategic Priority 4: Building resilience in the face of an increasingly unpredictable climate. By empowering our indigenous school communities in Dominica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with both fortified infrastructure and critical local expertise, we are not just protecting our students; we are establishing a vital blueprint for regional safety. The success of this initiative serves as a powerful model that we are now eager to replicate and adapt as we expand these efforts to Grenada and Saint Lucia, ensuring that our collective wisdom strengthens the foundation for all OECS Member States.”

Ambassador Linda Te Puni, New Zealand High Commissioner, stated:

“New Zealand has been pleased to partner with the OECS to strengthen the resilience of indigenous schools in the Caribbean that face particular vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. By investing in safer school infrastructure, emergency preparedness, and local leadership, this project is helping to ensure that children can continue learning and communities can recover more quickly when disasters strike. It is especially important that this initiative places indigenous knowledge, community ownership, and inclusive development at its centre. These values are important to New Zealand. The successes achieved at Atkinson Primary School and Sandy Bay Government School will inform a project of the same nature in St Lucia and Grenada that together provide a practical model for building climate resilience in schools across the Caribbean.”

Ms Muriel John, Principal, Atkinson Primary School, stated:

“I wish to express our deepest gratitude for the Capacity Development for Disaster Resilient School project. A project that has delivered tools and equipment, improved infrastructure, and has strengthened the school’s ability and capacity to withstand whatever challenges nature may bring. Most valuable of all was the training on Strengthening Disaster Resilience in Indigenous Schools, which brought together staff and community members alike. The training reminded us that Resilience is something we build together as a community long before disaster strikes. Where we once felt vulnerable, we are now better equipped; where once we could only react, we now know how to prepare. To every partner- the New Zealand Commission, the OECS Commission, and the Ministry of Education in Dominica- who believed in this project and in our community, we are deeply grateful. You have not only built a more resilient school, but also strengthened the spirit of a people who have always known how to endure and now feel supported in that endurance. We are grateful, stronger and ready.”

Mrs Hepcie Roberts, Principal, Sandy Bay Government School, stated:

“I sincerely appreciate that our school was chosen for this Disaster Resilience Project. The resources provided will make things much easier when faced with any hazards that may affect the school. In addition, I believe that the two-day workshop has prepared the staff to deal more effectively with problems that can be encountered in times of disasters. We could not have done it without all the persons who were instrumental in implementing this project. Once again, much appreciated!”

By embedding indigenous knowledge and promoting local ownership, the “Capacity Development for Disaster-Resilient Schools in Indigenous Communities” project has established a highly replicable framework for climate-resilient school design and community safety.