LocationsPredictability in uncertain times…and the space to decide
What the Rain Triggered
March 30, 2026
Cyclone season, from November to April, in the Solomon Islands needs no introduction. It floods farms, slows traffic and disrupts market days. Income pauses while expenses do not.
For four TrigaCash policyholders, the rain did what it always does, it disrupted livelihoods; what changed was what followed.
TrigaCash is the first-ever climate risk parametric insurance in the Solomon Islands that provides swift and automatic payouts via M-SELEN mobile wallet when predefined weather thresholds, such as heavy rainfall or high wind speed, are triggered based on global satellite data, without the need for claim assessments.
During the January 2026 rainfall event in Guadalcanal (including Honiara), 35 of 66 policyholders received payouts of SBD 200–400. The amounts are modest, but the efficiency and predictability are invaluable.
Ms. Alice Ala’ama, 44, who received SBD 200, was unaware that the payout had arrived until someone told her. Despite needing assistance to access the funds in her mobile wallet, once she withdrew SBD 170, she did not hesitate. She bought seeds to replant her garden. Originally from Malaita, her vegetable garden in Tenaru where she grows cucumber and tomatoes, is not on land she owns, but the harvest provides income for her household.
Ms. Alice Ala'ama.
UNDP
She also set aside part of the money to cover transport costs for her son, who travels daily to attend university. Upon receiving the payout, Alice was both surprised and excited, describing her recovery as a quick decision made possible with money that was neither borrowed nor requested. She said, “Me Hapi tumass, Selen from TrigaCash helpm me for paym things blo Son blo me lo skul.” (I am really happy, money from TrigaCash helped me to pay for my son’s school expenses.)
Through the Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Programme (PICAP), the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UN University (UNU) Institute for Environment and Human Security, together with the Central Bank of Solomon Islands, Trans Pacific Assurance Limited, Solomon Islands National Provident Fund, M-SELEN and World Vision Solomon Islands, are strengthening the climate and disaster risk financing in the country.
By deploying parametric microinsurance solutions, the programme is building household financial resilience while strengthening digital inclusion and last-mile access to formal services.
Ms. Alice Houanhiau.
UNDP
For another policyholder, Ms. Alice Houanhiau, 49, the significance of the product lay in its structure. A former educator who works closely with women’s groups, she also maintains gardens in Weather Coast and Aruligu.
“If rainfall reaches a certain level, the payout comes,” she explained. “You do not have to wait for someone to assess your loss.”
When she received her payout, within 13 days of experiencing the rainfall, she bought rice to send to her sister in the province. She also began encouraging other women in her network to enroll. In her view, the product offers more than individual protection, it creates the possibility of collective preparedness, transforming individual resilience into a community response. If several members of a group are enrolled, payouts can be combined, resources mobilized and recovery can be accelerated.
In East Honiara, Samson Totoo experienced both crop damage and lost sales. He sells handicrafts in town, and heavy rain makes travel almost impossible. During the recent event, flooding disrupted access to his garden and limited his ability to reach his shop due to flooded roads. He received two payouts of SBD 200 each.
Mr. Samson Totoo.
UNDP
Rather than immediately withdrawing the cash, he used the balance in his mobile wallet to assist family members with mobile top-ups. For him, enrolling in TrigaCash was an exercise in foresight.
“Rain will always come,” Mr Totoo said. “This is a way to prepare.”
John Aron Ho’asi, 54, a retired teacher and stay-at-home father, grows vegetables and raises livestock primarily for his household. The rain damaged the crops, which was his only source of subsistence. When the payout arrived, he used the funds to purchase green netting to protect his garden from future heat and weather perils. The payout did not restore losses but helped reduce future risks.
Mr. John Aron Ho’asi.
UNDP
Across the four households, the decisions were different, but what was consistent was the ability to act with agency and speed due to quick access to funds. None described the amounts as life-changing, but all found them useful and timely.
Parametric insurance does not stop the rain; it does not eliminate losses. What it offers is predictability, adaptability and a dignified recovery in a setting where weather hazards are increasingly frequent and disruptive.
Automatic payouts reduce delays and lessen the need to negotiate for survival during already stressful moments, without relying on external aid which often comes late or sometimes never. It provides financial independence to cope with the reality of living in one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change in the world.
As climate impacts are expected to intensify in the Solomons, preparedness is rarely dramatic and hence, resilience is built through predictable systems. More often, it takes the form of small, timely decisions made quietly at home. For these policyholders, the difference was not only the payout itself, but the space it created to make recovery decisions on their own terms.
This story is authored by Shreya Rajpuriya, UNCDF Climate Disaster Risk Insurance Analyst in the Solomon Islands.