The centre will provide safe shelter during natural disasters and will also serve as a community facility for meetings, training programmes and other activities.
Tamavua Methodist Church Lay Pastor Ponipate Vula says the village is grateful to the Government for supporting the project after waiting many years for such assistance.
He says the village has previously made land available for national developments, including facilities for the Water Authority of Fiji, the Fiji School of Nursing and the Fiji School of Medicine, and is pleased the Government has now recognised the community's needs.
Minister Ro Filipe says the project reflects the Government's commitment to building resilient infrastructure that can withstand the impacts of climate change and natural disasters.
Funded under the Infrastructure Natural Resource Owners Grant Programme at a cost of $1,779,821, the two-storey facility will include a Women's Resource Centre, kitchen, dispensary and accessible washrooms on the ground floor, while the upper level will feature a main hall for community gatherings.
Ro Filipe says Fiji remains highly vulnerable to cyclones, floods, landslides and rising sea levels, making investment in resilient infrastructure increasingly important.
He says the evacuation centre will provide safe shelter for families, children, women, older persons and people with disabilities during emergencies, while also serving as a community hub outside disaster periods.
The minister thanked the traditional leaders, landowners and all stakeholders involved in the project and urged contractors to complete the facility on time, within budget and to the highest safety and quality standards.
