Mesepele's Story

Mesepele is the coordinator of Fuligafou, a youth-led organization based in Funafuti. The organization’s name means transformation - a fitting name for an organisation that is reshaping traditional roles and expectations around youths and their place in society. 

“Culturally, youths would have very little voice in decision making,” Mesepele explains. “We wanted to give that voice back to the youths. With Fuligafou, we’re trying to shift that mentality to empower our youths to actually speak up, especially in terms of climate change, since it's something that affects us right now.” 

Founded in 2019, Fuligafou was born out of a need to fill gaps in coral restoration efforts and a vision to engage youth in meaningful, hands-on conservation work.

Today, Fuligafou’s volunteers scout reef areas, identify heat-resilient “super corals,” and transplant them into coral nurseries. These nurseries serve as safe spaces for coral fragments to grow before being relocated to degraded reef zones. The process is slow and meticulous, often taking months or years, but the impact is significant.

“Corals are really important to us,” says Mesepele. “They’re the homes of many fish, especially reef fish. They also act as barriers during cyclones, helping prevent big waves from hitting the land.” And on Tuvalu’s narrow strip of flat land, this role that corals have is particularly important. 

But for Mesepele, coral restoration isn’t just a passion-project; it’s personal. She recalls when Tuvalu’s reefs seemed to stretch for miles during low tide and she and other children would collect shells for traditional necklaces and gather clams for family meals. This isn’t something she sees a lot nowadays. 

When talking about the impact of the climate crisis on her island home she admits that it can be overwhelming. 

“What really brings me back is just seeing the youth standing up,” she says. “Getting them to understand and become advocates for climate justice, and seeing all the youth passionate about making a change and helping their communities.”

For Mesepele, one thing is clear. They’re running out of time. “There’s no time for words. We just need action.”