Overview:
💧 “Without food, there is nothing.” Elinor Rollis of Losap knows the challenges of climate change firsthand — from king tides flooding farmland to water tanks running dry. Women are the first to respond, but their work often goes unseen. What steps can leaders take to make island communities safer?
PONPHEI, 11 MARCH 2026 (SPREP) — The second of a three-part series that highlights Women in Micronesia this International Women’s Day. It forms part of the Federated States of Micronesia National Adaptation Plan Project funded by the Green Climate Fund, implemented by SPREP in partnership with the Government of FSM and Haskoning New Zealand.
Meet Elinor Rollis, Elinor has lived her entire life in Losap, one of the outer islands of Micronesia. She is a caretaker — not as a title, but as a responsibility she has carried since she was a young girl.
Caring for family, for neighbours, and for the everyday needs of the community is simply part of life in the remote outer islands of Micronesia. When Elinor speaks about climate change, she does not speak in distant terms. She speaks about food, water, and preparedness, the foundations of daily survival.
In the past, people in her island grew food close to their homes. Trees, gardens, and small plots provided sustenance on the island itself. Today, that has changed. Farming near houses has largely stopped, and families depend on another island for food, on island that has been allocated for this purpose. When that island is affected — by king tides and saltwater — everyone feels it.
King tides worry her. They now arrive with nothing to stop them. There are no natural or built barriers to slow the water as it moves inland. Saltwater reaches places it never did before, damaging land and limiting what can grow.
Elinor is clear: yes, she is worried about climate change, because without food, there is nothing.
Water has become another quiet concern. Rain still comes, but the systems to capture it no longer work for everyone. Some households have tanks, but no proper catchments to fill them. Others miss out entirely. When tanks remain empty, families are left unprepared for dry periods, even when rainfall is heavy.
In times of disaster, Elinor describes women’s roles as constant and expected. Before storms, women prepare homes and food, so families do not need to go outside. After storms, their work continues. When saltwater floods gardens or heavy rain threatens crops, women move quickly to harvest what they can before it spoils.
Einor speaks not only of climate impacts, but of what is missing. Reliable communication is one of the community’s biggest challenges. When emergencies happen, there is no effective way to call for help, share information, or explain what her community needs.
Without communication, the island remains invisible, even when families are struggling.
She also raises concerns beyond climate alone. Power shortages leave many people living in darkness. Mosquito populations have increased dramatically in her experience, bringing health risks that compound existing vulnerabilities. These pressures overlap — climate change makes them harder to manage, and isolation makes them harder to solve.
When asked what she would want planners and leaders to understand, Elinor’s answer is simple and firm: “Remember us. Without communication, how can anyone know what is happening here? Without practical support, how can people prepare?”
Elinor does not describe herself, or her community, as powerless. She describes what people already do — and what would help them do it better. Her message is about connection: planning that reaches the island, listens carefully, and supports the work that is already holding the community together.
Did you know?
Globally, disasters kill more women and children than men — especially where gender inequality is high. Source: UN Women 2024
This is part two of a three-part series profiling Women in Micronesia for the Give to Gain International Women’s Day wave with SPREP. We’ll be sharing one more profile this week as part of this series. This International Women’s Day let’s Give to Gain, together! …. PACNEWS