Akamatutu’anga To Tatou Ora’anga Meitaki (ATOM): Building a healthy and resilient Cook Islands Community – one block at a time

The ATOM project seeks USD 12.5 million from the Green Climate Fund to enhance the Cook Islands' health system resilience against climate-sensitive health risks (CSHRs). The initiative focuses on three components: strengthening institutional capacity to integrate climate data into health operations, retrofitting health facilities in the Pa Enua for cyclone and water security, and implementing community outreach and food security programs. The project targets 15,040 direct beneficiaries and aims to reduce the climate-induced health burden, which is estimated to cost the country USD 3.7 million annually.

• The Cook Islands faces significant climate-sensitive health risks (CSHRs), including vector-borne diseases like dengue fever, waterborne diarrheal illnesses, foodborne ciguatera poisoning, heat-related illness, respiratory diseases, and mental health challenges linked to the loss of ancestral lands.
• The ATOM project is designed around three primary components: integrating climate considerations into Te Marae Ora (TMO) operations, operationalizing resilience-building measures to reduce health impacts, and building community resilience.
• The project will upgrade health infrastructure in the Pa Enua, including refurbishing four facilities for code compliance, installing solar PV and battery backups at two facilities, and providing cold chain upgrades for four facilities, alongside water and sanitation improvements for all 13 Pa Enua sites.
• A key technical objective is the creation of an augmented Health Information System (HIS) that integrates meteorological and climate data to provide early warnings and forecasting for CSHRs.
• The project incorporates a gender-responsive approach to address the differential impacts of climate change on women, who often bear higher burdens of unpaid care work and are more vulnerable to food insecurity during disasters.
• The total investment for the project is USD 13,400,655, with USD 12,512,509 requested as a grant from the Green Climate Fund and USD 888,146 in in-kind co-financing from MFEM, TMO, CIIC, and MOE.
• Economic analysis indicates the project is viable, with a projected positive net present value (NPV) of USD 4.8 million, based on a 50% reduction in climate change-induced health burden costs over a 20-year lifespan (2022-2044).
• The project will directly benefit 15,040 people (approximately 51% women) and indirectly benefit 871 overseas Cook Islands citizens who may use health services upon return.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2024). Akamatutu’anga To Tatou Ora’anga Meitaki (ATOM): Building a healthy and resilient Cook Islands Community – one block at a time. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/sap034-mfem-cok-cook-islands.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Akamatutu’anga To Tatou Ora’anga Meitaki (ATOM): Building a healthy and resilient Cook Islands Community – one block at a time. 2024. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/sap034-mfem-cok-cook-islands.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Akamatutu’anga To Tatou Ora’anga Meitaki (ATOM): Building a healthy and resilient Cook Islands Community – one block at a time |date=4 April 2024 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/sap034-mfem-cok-cook-islands.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2024akamatutuanga, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Akamatutu’anga To Tatou Ora’anga Meitaki (ATOM): Building a healthy and resilient Cook Islands Community – one block at a time}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/sap034-mfem-cok-cook-islands.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }