Counterpart International, operating out of the Washington DC area, was founded as the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific in 1965. Counterpart assisted with the formation of country offices in the Pacific that evolved into independent NGOs of the FSP family throughout the Pacific Islands , in Papua New Guinea , Fiji , the Solomon Islands , Tonga , Kiribati , and Vanuatu . Previously existing NGOS in Samoa , Palau , and Tuvalu have since joined the network as well, and a regional office, Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific International, has been formed as a regional NGO, with each independent institution as an affiliate. Counterpart’s primary focus is on community development, poverty alleviation, and humanitarian aid. Recognizing the strong link between healthy coral reefs and human prosperity, Dr. Bowden-Kerby joined Counterpart in 1999 as a field staff member, and moved to Fiji to begin developing the Fiji and Pacific programme.

www.counterpart.org