The FSPI story began in 1965, when Elizabeth "Betty" Silverstein,
deeply concerned by the devastation that took place in the South Pacific
during the Second World War, persuaded her husband, Maurice "Red"
Silverstein, then president of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) International,
to launch a foundation to assist the peoples of the islands in the
South Pacific. Hence, the Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific
(FSP) was incorporated that year in New York. Father Stan Hosie, a
Marist priest in the Pacific, was appointed as the first Executive
Director. Fr. Hosie had, in the years leading up to his appointment
with FSP, carried out a survey of the needs of Pacific Island communities
with respect to health services, village schools, technical training,
rural water supplies and infrastructure.
In 1967, FSP built on the previous work of its Executive Director
and commissioned a major Pacific survey on community needs. By 1969,
FSP was a major international non-government organisation (NGO) bringing
resources to the Pacific for community centers, technical schools
and training, scholarships, agriculture and water supplies. Metropolitan
offices were established in the USA and Australia (where Betty and
Stan are from) to seek funding. Links were made with funding agencies
in Europe through the incorporation of an additional metropolitan
member, the United Kingdom Foundation of the Peoples of the South
Pacific (now "Just World Partners"), based in the United
Kingdom.
In 1976, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) began
to provide development support funding for Pacific nations. USAID
core funding enabled FSP to establish permanent, full time offices
in a number of South Pacific nations including Papua New Guinea, Fiji,
Tonga, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Kiribati. In later years,
FSP invited the Tuvalu Association of NGOs (TANGO) and Timor Aid,
a principal NGO involved in the reconstruction and development of
East Timor, to join the network.
As FSP island partners evolved into independent local NGOs, and the
network grew to accommodate other established NGOs in the Pacific,
there was a recognised need to develop a structure that could maintain
our historical networking strengths. In 1992, the FSP family met in
Suva, Fiji and decided to launch their own network, coordinated by
a regionally based Secretariat - the Foundation of the Peoples of
the South Pacific International (FSPI) headed by Mrs. Kathy Fry. The
Secretariat was established in Port Vila, Vanuatu where it remained
until December 2001.
In 2001, the Board of Directors decided to move the Secretariat from
Port Vila to Suva, Fiji. This decision was taken following a cost-benefit
analysis, ease of travel and the fact that many regional organizations
are headquartered in Suva. The move took place in December 2001.
In April 2001, Mrs. Patti O'Neill, Gender Advisor from New Zealand
MFAT, facilitated a landmark strategic planning workshop for the FSPI
Secretariat. During this workshop, staff collectively revisited the
organization's vision and mission, developed strategic priorities
and goals, reviewed the Secretariat's role in the region, and identified
program time frames and performance indicators.
