When Young People Build, Communities Thrive

In July, we celebrate World Youth Skills Day. And we’re sharing stories from across Tonga and Fiji of young people who were given the chance to learn, and whose skills are now changing lives well beyond their own. From construction sites to village pipes, the thread is the same: when youth gain practical skills, whole communities benefit.

Three years ago in 2023, Melenaite told us her inspiration for pursuing carpentry was her father and grandmother, both carpenters. "I want to be like them," she said.

Now, at 22, she is.

Melenaite is a qualified carpenter and lecturer at the Tonga Institute of Science and Technology. Habitat has followed her journey across three conversations: initallyfirst as a first-year student, then as a graduate, and now as the person standing at the front of the classroom.

Her story began on Habitat New Zealand's Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai tsunami rebuild, where she and her classmates built eight new homes for families whose lives had been upended by the 2022 disaster. It was her first large-scale project. She graduated in December 2024 and stepped straight into teaching, passing on the same skills she learned on that rebuild site.

She speaks often about why carpentry matters for young people in Tonga, particularly young women. "Carpentry is very important for young people… you can use your own skills to build them up. You can do it yourself. You can help others as well."

For Melenaite, she has her sights set further ahead. She hopes to keep studying, keep teaching, and keep contributing to a Tonga that is better prepared for whatever comes next.

Read Melenaite story

At 19, Tiseni had never read a tape measure. He joined his first Build Back Safer training in Tongatapu, Tonga because he wanted to find a future for himself.

"I wanted to learn construction so I can find a future for myself," he says.

Over ten days, Tiseni and a group of young trainees worked alongside qualified carpenters to build a home from the ground up for Fusi, a 74-year-old caregiver whose leaking, deteriorating house had become unsafe for her family. Under her roof, was her son (Sione) who lives with a disability, along with her grandchildren. They were living without proper shelter. She had been praying for something to change.

"It feels kind of nice knowing that you're helping an elderly person," Tiseni said. "It makes me feel proud."

For Fusi, it was the answer to years of worry and hope.

"I've always wished and hoped for my children to have a proper shelter that is safe and they feel protected. What you have provided is answers to our prayers."

Tiseni's goals for the year ahead are simple: to stay in the programme, keep learning, and one day start his own business. He is already building toward it. That's what makes Build Back Safer training powerful, it's not just skills for the trainee. Every home built is a real family sheltered, a real need met.

Read Tiseni story

Across the water in Fiji, the same spirit is taking shape in a different form.

At just 22 years old, Marica is proving that determination and interest can open new doors for young women in her village. After completing Habitat Fiji's vocational training, Marica began working on village development projects alongside her father. She extended her family's kitchen, handled all the plumbing herself, and then helped a neighbouring household extend theirs. She's repaired windows for families across the village and supported the extension of the community hall — stepping confidently into roles that her community had not often seen a young woman take on.

"If I can do this purely out of interest, anyone else can achieve the same goal as long as you are committed," she says.

Like Melenaite, Marica's ambitions extend outward. She doesn't just want skills for herself, she also wants to show other young women what's possible.

And sometimes, skills show up quietly. In a moment of need, without fanfare.

When a pipe broke in Naua Village and the water system failed, Ana and Alisi who graduated from Habitat Fiji's Basic Home Plumbing Toolkit training, stepped forward. Within an hour, water was restored.

In Fiji, while most people have access to water, only around one in three households have water that is safe, reliable, and available when needed. Through WASH programmes and practical training, Habitat works alongside Pacific communities to strengthen water and sanitation systems, building the skills and confidence that create healthier, more resilient places to live. Young people like Ana and Alisi are part of the solution. When youth are equipped with practical skills, they don't just build their own futures; they help hold their communities together.

Sometimes the impact of skills training shows up not in a career milestone, but in a quiet moment when someone knows what to do and does it.

From Tiseni on his first building site, to Melenaite at the front of a classroom, to Marica extending her neighbour's home, to Ana and Alisi keeping the water flowing, each story is different, but the foundation is the same. Practical skills, placed in the hands of young people, make communities more resilient, more capable, and more hopeful.

Across Tonga, Fiji and Samoa, Habitat for Humanity delivers Build Back Safer construction training, vocational programmes, and WASH initiatives that equip Pacific communities for the future.