The eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai caused devastation across the Pacific island nation that remains ongoing a year later
When ‘Eleni Via, 67, lived on the island of Atatā, her family were able to live off the land and the sea, surviving on crops planted in their garden and fresh seafood from the ocean.
But in the last year, life has changed dramatically. Now, they struggle in a new home, attempting to cultivate a land that is not as fertile as it should be. For the first time in her life, Via has to think about ways of paying the water and electricity bill, while making ends meet. On Atatā they could depend on fishing to provide basic necessities and for an income. In her new home on the country’s main island, Tongatapu, she wakes up everyday wondering how she will provide for her family.
