COPE Disaster Champions has reached one of the world’s most remote island nations, with seven COPE hazard preparedness booklets now translated into Gagana Tokelau and officially launched for children across Tokelau’s three atolls.

Covering cyclones, earthquakes, droughts, storm surges, tsunamis, floods, and volcanoes, these booklets are the first-ever disaster preparedness resources developed in the Tokelauan language, helping children better understand natural hazards and how to stay safe.

A total of 3,500 booklets were distributed equally across Fakaofo, Nukunonu, and Atafu, ensuring that every corner of Tokelau’s geographically dispersed communities has access to life-saving preparedness knowledge. The simultaneous launch across all three atolls highlights a strong commitment to inclusive disaster education for all children.

The resources were officially received by Hon. Minister of Education MiCore Kelihiano Kalolo during the Tokelau National Climate Outlook Forum, held in Atafu on 1 May 2026. The booklets will now be distributed through schools, community centres, and local government offices, where teachers, parents, and community leaders can use them to spark important conversations about hazard preparedness.

The launch followed a week-long journey across Tokelau’s atolls, including a 36-hour voyage by the implementation team, whose mission focused on strengthening weather monitoring, early warning systems, and community resilience.

We are proud to collaborate with the Pacific Islands meteorological community, with support from the World Meteorological Organization.

The initiative was implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) through the Weather Ready Pacific programme, supported by the UK WISER programme, DFAT (Government of Australia), and MFAT (Government of New Zealand).

This Pacific-wide initiative continues to strengthen resilience by delivering culturally relevant preparedness resources in local languages across the region, ensuring children can access essential disaster risk knowledge in ways that resonate with their communities.

As Weather Ready Pacific Programme Manager Mr ‘Ofa Fa’anunu shared:

“To the children of Tokelau: these booklets are for you. Read them, learn them, share them with your families and use them to prepare and be ready for natural hazards.”

This message reflects a core belief shared by both COPE and regional partners: lasting disaster resilience begins with children and families.

Thank you to the incredible teams across the Pacific Islands for helping ensure that every child has the knowledge they need to stay safe.

Learn more about this milestone here