Tuvalu families relocate to Australia as rising seas threaten their islands

Poeva, 18, and her 13-year-old sister Akesa left Tuvalu, a Pacific nation barely 4.5 metres above sea level, after storms and rising tides began destroying homes and crops. Climate change projections suggest that half of the capital Funafuti could be underwater by 2050, and some experts warn the islands may become uninhabitable by 2100. In response, the 2023 Falepili Union pact between Tuvalu and Australia pledged financial aid and created a visa pathway for 280 Tuvaluans each year, prompting over 8,000 applications last year.

Pastor Manu Puafolau, one of the first visa recipients, now resides in Naracoorte, where a small Tuvaluan community helps maintain cultural practices such as language, dance and traditional knowledge. Yet the young migrants, especially Akesa, struggle with the climate, language loss and separation from family, while Poeva remains determined to keep their heritage alive and hopes to return someday.