Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC) Tonga, Taufa'ahau Road Tungi Colonnade Building, Nuku`alofa (2026)

16/09/2026

🎉 WE DID IT! OUR FIRST MOʻUI KE FIEFIA PARENTING PILOT IS COMPLETE! 🎉

And what a journey it has been! 💜 10 sessions in total over July-September… ✊🏽💪🏾🙌🏾

The Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC) is incredibly proud to celebrate the first group of parents, grandparents and caregivers to complete our Moʻui Ke Fiefia - Growing Strong Families Positive Parenting Programme for families with children aged 0-12 years.

Our first pilot was held in the Kolofoʻou District, bringing families together to talk, laugh, reflect, learn, practise new skills - and sometimes challenge the way we have always done things as parents.

Because parenting doesn’t come with a manual! 😅

But we can learn from one another.

And the most exciting part?

Parents are already taking what they learned home and putting it into practice ❤️🏠

👂 One parent learned the power of simply stopping and listening.

“Before joining this programme, when my child talked to me, I would continue doing my work while answering his questions.”

Now, when their children want to talk, they stop what they are doing and give them their full attention.

“I need to give them my full attention and focus 100% on what they are saying. This helps them know that I care.”

Sometimes strengthening a relationship starts with something as simple as putting everything down and listening.

🌬️ Another family discovered a new way to deal with anger - the Breathing Box!

At first, the breathing exercise was just a fun activity they practised together.

Now?

When someone in the family gets angry, the family breathes together to calm down before reacting.

That is a small tool creating a BIG change 🙌🏽

👶🏽 Another parent was amazed to learn just how early children begin learning.

“I did not know that children start learning from as early as 0 to 4 years old… Even when my children are very young and cannot talk or answer me, they are still listening and understanding.”

That new understanding has helped them become more patient and allow their children to explore, play and learn.

❤️ And one father shared something especially powerful.

When his son did something wrong, his first response used to be physical discipline.

“The first thing I would do when he came home was hit him because I wanted him to understand that I cared about him.”

Through Moʻui Ke Fiefia, he began discovering another way.

“Instead of hitting him, I can explain why it is important for him to ask permission and tell us where he is going.”

Same love. Same responsibility to keep his child safe. A different way of responding.

🌱 Another parent realised something many of us can relate to:

Sometimes we parent the way we were parented simply because that is all we know.

Growing up, this parent remembered that children went to school, church and home, where there were always chores to do.

Without realising it, they had begun repeating the same pattern with their own children.

Then came a powerful realisation:

“Through this parenting programme, I have learned that I do not have to continue doing everything the same way my parents did.”

Today, they are listening more, sharing responsibilities differently and making sure their children also have time to play, explore, laugh and enjoy being children. 🥰

Another parent is now thinking carefully about whether the chores they give their children are appropriate for their age, while still giving them time to learn and explore.

THIS is what Moʻui Ke Fiefia is about 💙

Not perfect parents.

Not perfect children.

Not perfect families.

It is about parents, grandparents and caregivers who are willing to reflect, learn, try something different and grow alongside their children.

Throughout the programme we explored:

✨ Understanding ourselves as parents
✨ Building connection and attachment
✨ Understanding children’s development and emotions
✨ Positive communication
✨ Responding to challenging behaviour
✨ Positive discipline
✨ Age-appropriate responsibilities
✨ Creating safer, happier and more resilient homes

And there are a few messages we hope our families will carry with them:

💛 Connect before you correct
👂🏽 Listen before you react
🧒🏽 Look for the child behind the behaviour
🌱 Discipline is about teaching and guiding - not punishment
🏠 Strong families are built through the little things we do every day

The end of this pilot is not the end of the journey.

In many ways, it is just the beginning. 🌺

Our hope is to see Moʻui Ke Fiefia reach many more parents, grandparents, caregivers and communities across Tonga - creating homes where children feel safe, heard, loved and supported to reach their full potential.

To our very first Growing Strong Families 0-12 pilot participants: MĀLŌ ʻAUPITO! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Thank you for showing up, sharing honestly, laughing together, challenging yourselves and, most importantly, taking what you learned back home to your families.

You were our first group - but we certainly hope you won’t be our last! ❤️

And to all the other parents, grandparents and caregivers reading this and thinking, “Hmmm… maybe I need to do this programme too…” 👀😂

YES! Moʻui Ke Fiefia might just be for you.

WCCC gratefully acknowledges Cure Kids New Zealand and the MFAT Manaaki Fund for its support and partnership in helping make the Moʻui Ke Fiefia Parenting Programme possible. 🙏🏽

🌺 ʻAPI KO MOʻUI KE FIEFIA 🌺
A happy, safe, loving and resilient home where every family member can reach their full potential.

Strong Families • Strong Communities • Strong Tonga 🇹🇴

03/09/2026

WCCC Welcomes Support from AM Garage Doors Repairs & Installs Ltd.

The Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC) is grateful to AMGarage Doors Repairs & Installs Ltd for their generous support and commitment to giving back to the community in Tonga.

After supporting churches in Vava’u through donations in previous years, the company has chosen to take a hands-on approach in 2026 by directly supporting WCCC and the important work we do for women, children, survivors of abuse, and vulnerable families.

WCCC sincerely appreciates their kindness and willingness to stand with us in creating safer and stronger communities.

Thank you, AM Garage Doors Repairs & Installs Ltd., for supporting WCCC and standing with our community.

28/08/2026

SEEING OUR CHILDREN DIFFERENTLY: MOʻUI KE FIEFIA REACHES THE HALFWAY MARK 💜

What if some of the behaviours that frustrate us most as parents are actually our children trying to communicate something to us?

That question has opened up powerful conversations among parents, grandparents and caregivers taking part in WCCC’s Moʻui Ke Fiefia - Growing Strong Families Positive Parenting Programme, which has now reached its halfway point.

Participants have completed two foundational sessions and three substantive parenting sessions. Following the programme’s earlier focus on parents themselves and healthy family relationships, the last three sessions have turned the attention directly to our children:

Understanding Your Child.
Building Connection & Attachment.
Understanding Children’s Emotions.

Together, these sessions are encouraging parents to do something that sounds simple, but can completely change the way we parent:

Slow down. Look beyond the behaviour. Connect. Listen. Understand.

🌱 UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHILD

The first substantive session, Understanding Your Child - Maʻu e Mahino Fekauʻaki mo Hoʻo Tama pe Ko Hoʻo Kiʻi Leka, encouraged parents to look more closely at how their children grow and develop.

Children between 0 and 12 are constantly developing - physically, emotionally, socially, through language and in the way they think and understand the world.

And sometimes, what adults see as “naughty” or “difficult” behaviour may simply be a child behaving according to their age and stage of development.

One of the programme’s key messages is:

Behaviour is communication.

Instead of immediately asking:

“How do I correct my child?”

parents were challenged to also ask:

“What is my child trying to tell me?”

A child may be tired. Hungry. Frustrated. Overwhelmed. Scared. Looking for attention. Or needing reassurance and connection.

This does not mean ignoring inappropriate behaviour or removing boundaries. It means understanding what is happening before deciding how best to respond.

Parents were also encouraged to spend just 20 minutes observing their child - without correcting or directing them.

What makes them happy? What frustrates them? How do they solve problems? When do they seek comfort? What makes them feel proud?

Sometimes understanding our children begins by simply slowing down enough to really see them.

💜 BUILDING CONNECTION & ATTACHMENT

The next session took parents from understanding their child to strengthening their connection with them.

Children need food, clothing, education and shelter - but they also have important emotional needs.

They need to know:

I am loved.
I am safe.
I belong.
Someone will listen to me.
Someone is there when I need them.

Parents explored how connection is built through ordinary moments - talking, playing, listening, comforting, showing affection and spending meaningful time together.

These may seem like small things to adults.

But to a child, they can say:

“You matter to me.”

The programme reminds parents that children do not need perfection from us.

They need our presence and connection.

💛 UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN’S EMOTIONS

The most recent session went another step deeper by helping parents understand their children’s emotions.

Children experience the same wide range of emotions adults do - happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disappointment, jealousy, embarrassment, excitement and worry.

One of the central messages was:

Every emotion is valid.

There are no “bad” emotions.

The challenge is helping children understand what they are feeling and teaching them safe and healthy ways to express those feelings.

So instead of immediately responding with:

“Stop crying.”
“Don’t be angry.”
“There’s nothing to be scared of.”

parents were encouraged to try:

“I can see you’re upset.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“It’s okay to feel sad.”
“I’m here.”

When children feel heard and understood, parents are in a better position to help them calm down, communicate what they need and learn how to manage their behaviour.

💜 FROM CORRECTING TO CONNECTING

These three sessions come together around one important lesson:

Before correction, there needs to be connection and understanding.

Positive parenting does not mean children can do whatever they want.

Children still need boundaries. They need guidance. They need to learn responsibility and understand consequences.

But discipline becomes much more meaningful when parents understand the child behind the behaviour.

And already, participants are taking these lessons home.

One single mother shared that the programme has changed the way she communicates with her children. She is becoming more conscious of how she speaks and responds, listening more carefully and trying to understand her children’s feelings before reacting.

Her experience is a reminder that becoming a stronger parent does not always require one enormous change.

Sometimes it starts with one different response.

Listening instead of shouting.

WCCC gratefully acknowledges the support of Cure Kids NZ and the Manaaki MFAT Fund, whose partnership has helped make the Moʻui Ke Fiefia Parenting Programme possible and supports our shared commitment to stronger, safer and happier families in Tonga.

27/08/2026

👟 WALK IN MY SHOES: FATUMU YOUNG WOMEN TALK HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS 💜

Before we judge someone, do we really know what they are going through?

That was one of the important messages shared when WCCC joined the young women of Fatumu during their camping programme at Makeke Campsite for a fun and interactive Healthy, Equal and Respectful Relationships (HER Relationship) session.

👟 FIRST CHALLENGE: WALK IN SOMEONE ELSE’S SHOES!

WCCC Youth and Child Advocate Sulieti Molimoli started with a simple challenge.

The young women paired up, swapped shoes, and tried walking about five metres in each other’s shoes.

Sounds easy? Not always! 😄

Afterwards, they were asked: How did it feel walking in someone else’s shoes?

One young woman shared:

“Even though my partner’s shoes didn’t fit, I just focused on moving forward.”

Sulieti used the activity to share an important message:

“Sometimes we are quick to judge someone, but we haven’t walked in their shoes. We may not know what they are going through.”

It was a simple activity with a powerful lesson: be kind, listen and try to understand before you judge.

💚 WHAT DOES A GOOD RELATIONSHIP FEEL LIKE?

WCCC Youth and Child Advocate Malia Kelepi then asked the young women to think about the relationships they have with their friends, families - and even themselves.

One young woman spoke about the friendship she shares with her best friend:

“We both come from families that have been through struggles, but we share what we have and help each other with the things we struggle with. It makes our burdens feel lighter.”

That is what healthy relationships can do. 💜

They don’t have to be perfect. But they should be places where we can support each other, listen, care and grow together.

🚩 RED FLAG OR GREEN FLAG? 🟢

The young women then explored something we all need to know: how to recognise red and green flags in our relationships.

🚩 Red flags are behaviours that can make you feel unsafe, controlled, disrespected, pressured or unheard.

🟢 Green flags are when you feel safe, respected, supported, valued and able to speak honestly.

Through different scenarios, the young women practised spotting red flags and talked about what they could do when they see them.

And the message was simple:

Your feelings matter.
Your choices matter.
Your boundaries matter.
Your voice matters.

Knowing your worth also means being able to say “this doesn’t feel right,” setting boundaries and reaching out to someone you trust when you need support.

🤝 WE GO FURTHER TOGETHER

Sulieti ended the session by sharing a message from WCCC’s ʻOfa-Ki-Levuka Guttenbeil-Likiliki:

“It takes one person to go fast, but it takes a team to go far.”

Because creating healthy relationships isn’t something young people should have to do alone.

It takes friends, families and whole communities standing together to challenge harmful behaviour and build relationships based on equality and respect.

The President of the Fatumu Young Women shared:

“We are so grateful for this opportunity to learn. Red flags happen within our youth circles, but sometimes we don’t recognise them as red flags. Hopefully our young women will use what they have learned today in their everyday lives.”

💜 REMEMBER THIS:

You deserve relationships where you feel SAFE.
You deserve to be RESPECTED.
You deserve to be VALUED.
You deserve to be HEARD.

Mālō ʻaupito to the Fatumu Young Women for welcoming WCCC, joining in, sharing honestly and being willing to have these important conversations.

Keep looking out for each other. Keep speaking up. And never forget - your voice matters. 💜

Media Contact:
Julie Taufa
📞 +676 22240
📘 Facebook: Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC) Tonga

27/08/2026

26-August-2026

WCCC EMPOWERS FOʻUI YOUTH TO STAY SAFE AND BUILD HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS 💜

“Your feelings matter. Your voice matters. And if something doesn’t feel right - speak up.”

Young people were at the heart of WCCC’s recent community outreach in Foʻui, where around 26 children, youth and adults came together for an interactive day focused on personal safety, healthy relationships and knowing when to ask for help.

The WCCC Prevention Team, together with our Legal Advocate, delivered activities from the Stay Safe and Healthy, Equal and Respectful (HER) Relationships programmes.

🛡️ Helping Children Know How to Stay Safe

WCCC Youth Advocate Sulieti Molimoli began by talking with children about simple but important ways they can help keep themselves safe:

🔹 Tell a parent or caregiver where you are going and where you will be.
🔹 Do not accept gifts, lollies, money or invitations from strangers.
🔹 Stay around other people, especially when you feel unsure, uncomfortable or unsafe.

One message was especially important:

“If something doesn’t feel right - tell someone.”

Children and young people need to know that they have the right to speak up, ask questions and seek help. Their feelings should never be ignored.

🚩🟢 Can You Spot the Red and Green Flags?

Young people were then encouraged to think about the relationships in their own lives and learn how to recognise red flags 🚩 and green flags 🟢.

And healthy relationships are not only about boyfriends or girlfriends.

They include the relationships we have with friends, family members, classmates, neighbours and others around us.

🚩 Red flags can include behaviour that makes you feel controlled, frightened, uncomfortable, disrespected or unheard.

🟢 Green flags are signs that you feel safe, respected, supported, valued and able to be yourself.

A healthy and equal relationship means your voice counts too.

It means listening to each other, communicating honestly, respecting boundaries and personal space, treating one another with kindness, and supporting each other.

Sulieti encouraged the young people:

“Taking care of yourself means knowing your worth, speaking up when something doesn’t feel right, setting healthy boundaries and asking for help when you need it.”

💜 YOU DESERVE TO FEEL SAFE

This is the message WCCC wants every child and young person across Tonga to hear:

You deserve relationships where you feel safe.
You deserve to be respected.
You deserve to be heard.
And you never have to face a difficult situation alone.

Mālō ʻaupito to the Foʻui community for welcoming our team and creating a space where children, young people and families could learn and talk openly together.

WCCC is calling on communities across Tonga to keep these conversations going.

If something doesn’t feel right 👉🏾reach out.
If you are worried about someone 👉🏾 reach out.
If you need someone to listen 👉🏾reach out.

There is no shame in asking for help. Speaking up is a strength, and reaching out can be the first step towards safety.

💜 WCCC is here. WCCC listens. WCCC supports. WCCC stands alongside our communities.

Together, we can raise a generation of young people who know their worth, recognise healthy relationships, speak up when something is wrong and know where to turn for support.

WCCC Toll Free: 0800 444

Media Contact:
Julie Taufa
📞 +676 22240
📘 Facebook: WCCC

27/08/2026

It was an honour for the WCCC to have the Australian Ambassador, for Gender Equality Michelle O'Byrne to visit our branch in Vava'u and our Vava’u Women’s Fono Committee…

Malo e me’a mai ki Vava’u 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

What a wonderful way to show our collective support towards women’s leadership from the home to Parliament!

Backing more women in Parliament ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽

24/08/2026

MORE ʻOFA, LESS VIOLENCE: WCCC TAKES PREVENTION CONVERSATIONS TO SDA COMMUNITIES

Nukuʻalofa, Tonga Sunday 23 August 2026

If God is love, there is no space for violence and abuse in our homes.

This was one of the key messages shared as WCCC recently joined the Tofoa and Popua Seventh-day Adventist Churches for two important conversations about violence prevention, parenting and healthy relationships.

At Tofoa SDA, WCCC’s Lesila Lokotui and Sela Sausini Tuʻipulotu spoke about WCCC’s work and services, the different forms of violence and abuse, and the important role parents, families and the Church can play in creating safer homes.

Their discussion centred on ʻofa - love - in parenting. Parents were encouraged to create safe environments for their children, nurture healthy relationships within the family, make time to listen and have one-to-one conversations, and respect the views of family members.

They also challenged parents to think about discipline, including corporal punishment: if our intention is to teach our children through love, does physical punishment achieve that - or can it cause more harm?

The discussion connected strongly with WCCC’s Moʻui ke Fiefia parenting framework, which places love at the heart of raising children and building strong, safe families.

An important reminder was also shared around child protection: those who harm children are often people known to them. Keeping children safe is therefore everybody’s responsibility - including the Church.

We all have a role to play. Working together, and acting out of love, can save a life. WCCC also reminded the congregation that its services are available to support families and that cases of violence or abuse can be referred to the Centre.

Meanwhile at Popua SDA, WCCC’s Malialosa Falevai and Sulieti Molimoli spoke with youth about Healthy, Equal and Respectful Relationships.

Young people were reminded that healthy relationships also begin with how we see and treat ourselves. Learning to value yourself, know your boundaries and recognise your worth can shape the relationships you build with others.

Most importantly, you do not have to stay in an unhealthy situation or relationship.

The Popua Pastor thanked WCCC and said he wished they had known sooner about the services available, noting that children and young people need to understand the dangers of unhealthy relationships, where they can lead and where they can turn for help.

For WCCC, prevention starts with conversations like these - in our homes, with our young people, and within our churches.

Violence is not love. Control is not love. Fear is not love.

21/08/2026

STAY SAFE, SPEAK UP! WCCC TAKES CHILD SAFETY TO MALIA ‘I-MAKULATA

Knowing what to do when something doesn’t feel right can make all the difference.

The WCCC Prevention Team recently visited Malia ‘I-Makulata Primary School for a fun and important Stay Safe session - giving our children simple, practical tools to help them recognise unsafe situations, make safer choices and speak up when they need help.

And our young learners had three important messages to remember:

👉 Tell your parents or caregivers where you’re going and where you’ll be.
👉 Don’t accept gifts, lollies or invitations from strangers.
👉 Stay where there are other people around - especially if you feel unsure or unsafe.

But one of the BIGGEST messages of the day?

📣 If something doesn’t feel right - TELL SOMEONE.

Children should never feel they have to keep an unsafe situation to themselves. Talk to a parent, caregiver, teacher or another trusted adult. And remember, WCCC is here too.

☎️ 0800 444 - WCCC’s Toll-Free Helpline

We want our children to know this number, know where they can turn for help, and most importantly, know that they have the right to feel safe, protected and heard.

Prevention starts early. It starts with conversations. It starts with giving our children the confidence to recognise danger, trust their instincts and speak up. 💜

A big mālō ‘aupito to the teachers and students of Malia ‘I-Makulata for welcoming our Prevention Team and helping us make child safety everybody’s business.

Stay alert. Stay safe. Speak up. 🛡️💜

21/08/2026

DEPUTY BRITISH HIGH COMMISSIONER VISITS WCCC - RECONNECTING WITH A LONG-STANDING PARTNER

Nukuʻalofa, Tonga 21 August 2026

The Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC) was delighted to welcome Melissa Williams, Deputy British High Commissioner, to the Centre this week - continuing a relationship that has previously helped WCCC take its prevention work beyond Tongatapu and directly into some of Tonga’s outer island communities.

WCCC’s Lesila Lokotui provided Ms Williams with an overview of the Centre’s work and the range of services available to women and children experiencing violence and abuse – from crisis response and counselling through to safe accommodation, advocacy and prevention.

Ms Williams shared that supporting women and children is a key area of interest for her organisation and one of the reasons she was particularly keen to visit WCCC. She was especially interested in seeing WCCC’s Safe House and understanding how the Centre provides immediate safety and ongoing support to survivors.

There was also plenty of discussion around WCCC’s statistics - and plenty of questions! WCCC’s Soana Pongi took Ms Williams through the numbers, providing further context around who is accessing WCCC’s services and some of the realities sitting behind the data.

A relationship that continues to grow

The visit follows an earlier meeting with Tonga’s newly appointed British High Commissioner, H.E. Keith McMahon MBE, who invited WCCC’s Adaptive Lead Strategic Supprt ʻOfa-Ki-Levuka Guttenbeil-Likiliki and Lesila Lokotui to meet with him on 16 July, immediately following the inaugural National Women’s Fono.

High Commissioner McMahon was particularly interested in hearing about the Fono, the voices and priorities that emerged from women across Tonga, and the key outcomes of the gathering. He congratulated WCCC on delivering what was a significant and highly successful national event, bringing together women from across Tonga and culminating in the Tonga Women’s Platform for Action 2026–2029.

For WCCC, these recent engagements build on a relationship with the British High Commission that has gone well beyond meetings around a table.

Former British High Commissioner Lucy Joyce joined the WCCC team in Haʻapai, travelling to some of its outer islands, including ʻOʻua, Matuku and Haʻafeva, as part of WCCC’s community outreach and violence prevention work.

The British High Commission also supported WCCC’s International Women’s Day singing event in Haʻapai that same year – bringing women and communities together through music while creating space for conversations about women’s rights, safety and ending violence.

For WCCC, these partnerships matter because preventing violence cannot happen from an office in Nukuʻalofa. It means getting on the boat, reaching the outer islands, sitting with communities and making sure women and children know that support exists – wherever they live.

Following the presentation and visit, Ms Williams praised the work being carried out by WCCC and expressed her appreciation for the services and support the Centre continues to provide to women and children across Tonga.

Mālō ʻaupito, Deputy High Commissioner Williams, for coming through our doors, asking the questions, seeing the work up close – and most importantly, listening.

20/08/2026

PUTTING WOMEN & CHILDREN AT THE HEART OF TONGA’S DIGITAL HEALTH FUTURE

As Tonga strengthens its digital health systems, WCCC is making sure that the everyday realities of women, children and families are part of the conversation.

WCCC’s Lupe ‘Alilia Mo’onia participated in the Ministry of Health’s Health Information System and Gender Workshop on 18-19 August, bringing to the table issues WCCC sees through its frontline work - including challenges families can face around children’s registration, locating health records and accessing important health information.

For WCCC, this is what meaningful participation is about: connecting national systems and policies with what is actually happening on the ground.

Digital transformation is important - but it must be safe, accessible, gender-responsive and designed around the people who need it most.

When we build better systems, we must make sure no woman, child or family is left behind.

Media Contact: Julie Taufa
Phone:+676 22240
Facebook: Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC) Tonga

Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC) Tonga

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