Fiji
1. Cyclone & Floods in the Northern Division
To date, Save the Children Fiji has provided emergency relief to more than 3,000 families affected by cyclone Cliff and floods, which struck the Northern Division on April, 2007. The relief programme works towards ensuring that children affected are allowed to continue in education. This not only contributes towards children’s holistic development but also allows them to feel a sense of normality during such uncertain times. Assistance to children in the Northern Division was made possible through funding from the Government of New Zealand.
Children were assisted through bus fare and feeding programme, textbooks, stationeries, food and clothing supplies. Altogether 36 schools were assisted through the relief programme in which 11 secondary and 25 primary schools with a total of 3,879 children. These schools are located in Labasa. Udu point, North West cost of Vanualevu and the island of Taveuni. At the moment communities in the Northern Division have been fully recovered from the disaster and through SCFiji awareness programmes through schools, the school management is now working in securing funds for relief programme for their schools in the future.
2. Cyclone Gene hits the Rewa Delta
The tropical cyclone Gene that swept through parts of Fiji this year caused massive devastation along low lying areas of the Rewa Delta. These areas housed schools, homes, small business, plantations and poultry farms. SC Fiji provided support to nutritional interventions for children in targeted areas. Food packs were distributed to ensure that children remained within their communities and returned to a daily normal routine and schooling as quickly as possible.
SC Fiji distributed basic food items to children affected and their families. The food supplies were distributed as packs that assisted 140 families and approximately 300 students with the most need based on information provided by the head of schools in that area. Three primary schools and one secondary school identified by SC Fiji received this assistance. The distribution of food packs to schools resulted in immediate improvements in children’s attendance to school and their health.
The gold mine in Vatukoula ceased operations in December 2006. In July 2007, families continued seeking assistance for basic daily necessities. Funding was granted by the Government of New Zealand in late 2007 and the first phase of relief assistance in the form of food vouchers was implemented from 10th – 15th December 2007. This was carried out in partnership with respective schools that requested to identify children in need of assistance.
This assistance was to ensure that children who were affected by the closure of the mine would receive food of nutritional value during the school break. It also eased the burden on families to allow them to focus on children’s educational needs for 2008. The number of families who turned up on the day further reiterated fears that the situation being faced by many children and their families was far from over.
Food vouchers in the amount of $100 were distributed to families of children identified by the respective schools in Vatukoula. The total amount given to any family was $100 regardless of the number of children in that family . As there were many children in need of assistance this was done to ensure that funds were spread out over as many families as much as possible.
Food vouchers were distributed to 303 families living in the Tavua/Vatuloula area. An estimated 800 children were assisted under this scheme.
It is unfortunate that the organization cannot meet the needs of all families in Vatukoula facing financial hardship as it can only work within its budget allocation. To assist all families in Vatukoula, Save the Children is working out in partnership with other stakeholders for a long term assistance focusing its relief efforts on meeting the educational needs of children affected.
This year, phase two will be implemented through the school system to assist children in need with stationery, bus fares and nutritional lunch schemes.