Dan Carter’s ‘life-changing’ visit to remote Kiribati with Unicef

Most of us take showering, drinking and washing our hands in clean water for granted - but in many countries in the Pacific, it’s not the norm.

For retired rugby superstar and Unicef ambassador Dan Carter, that reality hit home during a recent visit to Kiribati, where just 3% of schools have access to clean drinking water.

The country, made up of 33 islands, is famously hard to access - a fact to which Carter can attest. After landing in the capital Tarawa, he and the Unicef team travelled to one of the outer islands by boat.

“It took us four hours by boat in rough sea conditions,” he recalls, adding with a laugh: “It was long. It was tough. I got seasick.”

For Carter, it confirmed just how hard it is to reach Pacific communities with essential resources like clean water.

Dan Carter with pupils at Taiti Primary School in Marakei, Kiribati. Photo / Unicef

“One of the challenges with supporting a country like Kiribati is just how remote it is. It’s right on the equator, it’s almost as wide as America but just filled with a whole lot of islands.

“It was really important for me to get to Kiribati and see the incredible work that Unicef are doing on the ground there, providing clean and safe water and sanitation, hygiene facilities to schools, medical centres, villages.”

Despite the seasickness, the warm welcome he received made it all worth it.

“Believe it or not, I got off that boat and danced, and if anyone knows me, I’m not a big dancer or a good dancer,” Carter jokes.

“If the people of Kiribati can get us up dancing, then you know that’s just how warm and welcoming they are.”

Dan Carter and pupils at Aoneta Junior Secondary School try clean drinking water. Photo / Unicef

Carter has been a Unicef ambassador since retiring from rugby in 2021 - though his involvement goes back to a 2016 visit to a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan.

He launched his DC10 Fund in partnership with Unicef to improve access to clean water in the Pacific.

“There was a really clear purpose in trying to enable the most vulnerable children to get more opportunities to live a life of freedom and fun,” the father of four says.

“[That’s] something that I did when I was young, and I look at my children and they just live with such freedom, but I know that’s not often the case.”

The Pacific Islands aren’t just neighbours to Aotearoa - “they’re part of our extended whānau”, he says.

“That’s exactly the case from my rugby background, we had so many Pacific Islanders in all the teams that I played for, so I wanted to support a project that was really close to me.”

Dan Carter has been a Unicef ambassador since 2021. Photo / Michael Craig

The impact of a lack of clean water can be devastating in this region, particularly for children.

“They’re prone to a lot more disease, so all of a sudden they’re at school less, so they’re not learning as much in terms of their education,” Carter notes.

He spent his time in Kiribati visiting schools where Unicef has installed WASH [water, sanitation, and hygiene] projects, including toilet blocks and handwashing facilities.

The WASH projects are now in five schools and 14 medical centres in Kiribati, and are being built in 10 more schools.

“To see it firsthand and the impact that it’s having on these children, these communities, these villages, it really is sort of life-changing,” the rugby star says.

“It kind of puts your life into perspective at times, and often I’m walking away from these field trips feeling inspired from the children.

“It really is a special thing to be a part of.”

Unicef ambassador Dan Carter and Unicef's Sarah Fraser. Photo / Michael Craig

About Unicef Aotearoa

Unicef Aotearoa’s head of government and Pacific relations Sarah Fraser says the region is one of the most “logistically challenging” for the agency.

“We both experienced firsthand how hard it is to get to every child,” she says of visiting Kiribati with Carter.

“I think that it really hit home and realised just how hard it is in our Pacific, and how important it is.

“The water and sanitation work that we support, and that Dan supports, goes right through from health, from early childhood to schools - because it’s really about community engagement and buy-in.

“We’ve trained over 7000 teachers now in Kiribati to really teach about handwashing and how it’s important and how it stops disease.”

Building facilities like toilet blocks helps protect children’s right to privacy, as well as health and hygiene, she says.

“We are really working on those basic needs that improve healthcare, but I think also it’s about dignity and also about giving children a childhood.

“When you’re healthy and well, you can attend school, you can learn, and you can really fulfill your potential. So that’s a real focus for us.”

You can learn more or take part in Unicef’s fundraising appeal Become a Pacific Champion here.