The theme of this year’s Guest at Your Table campaign is Small Change is Big Change. The people of the Carteret Islands of Papua New Guinea are certainly facing big change. They are among the first communities on earth having to relocate because of climate change. Because of rising sea levels, the community is forced to migrate to higher ground, abandoning the island where they were born and raised and which represents their identity and way of life. Tired of waiting for the government of Papua New Guinea to act, the Elders created a grassroots support system, asking Ursula Rakova, a local environmental activist to lead the relocation effort. She founded Tulele Peisa, “Sailing the Wind on Our Own” to support Carteret Islanders through all stages of resettlement in the Solomon Islands. Tulele Peisa is one of UUSC’s seven climate-forced displacement partners in the South Pacific. Together with Ursula’s leadership and Tulele Peisa, UUSC is supporting migration with dignity for the Carteret Islanders facing severe climate change impacts they did nothing to create.

UUSC’s Environmental Justice and Climate Action Program assists indigenous populations of the South Pacific and Alaska, regions that rely on coastal habitats and are facing severe climate change impacts with limited resources. Your check payable to UUSC (or your online donation at www.uusc.org/givetoguest) is a way to carry out our mission of transforming the world through loving action.