Children Plead For Assistance

The children in the worst flood affected area in Navakai, Nadi are pleading for assistance to enable them to go to school next week.Our News Director Vijay Narayan is currently on tour in the Nadi area and spoke to 12-year-old Sohab Ali.A Form 6 student of Korovatu Settlement in Labasa is calling for urgent assist for close to 30 students in the area so they are able to go to school from next week.18-year-old Shilam Sanjana Devi said all the 12 houses in the settlement in her area were under 6 to 7 feet flood waters and they have lost everything.Shilam said many breadwinners in the area are fishermen who were already facing difficulties in sending their children to school prior to the flood however this flood has now left the students with no option but to leave school as they are currently struggling to put even put a meal on the table.Meanwhile, donations are pouring in from as far as England to help children like Sohab Ali and Shilam Devi through the appeal to Get the Children back to school in the worst flood affected areas which currently stands at over $20,000 since the appeal started at midday yesterday. Individuals like Josaia Naigulevu and his family donated $2,500 from their pocket to assist these children get back to school.Vodafone Fiji Limited this morning gave out a generous some of $10,000 to the appeal.An England School teacher Brenda Yates, through her brother David Dean who resides in Suva, gave cash for the appeal to help out. Dean who dropped the donation off said the concept and initiative of helping school children on the eve of the First School Term starting is a good one adding people who donate should think about where their money can do good and be sure that it gets to those that need help.The appeal organized by Communications Fiji Limited (CFL) radio stations, Legend FM, FM96, Viti FM, Navtarang, Sargam and website fijivillage.com is aimed at ensuring that funds are raised to assist children go back to school when the new school term starts next Monday.All the cash donations collected for the children will be handed over to Save the Children Fund to assist the children with their school fees and daily bus fare and lunch.Save the Children Fund's Chief Executive Chandra Shekhar said they have the mechanisms in place to administer the relief efforts using the same model used to assist children in Vatukoula to provide fees, lunch money and bus fares.For those who want to donate cash now to help the children go back to school, you can come here to the home of Fijivillage at 231 Waimanu Road, our Lautoka office at the Sugar Cane Growers Council building and our Labasa office located at 10 Rosawa Street.You can also deposit your donations to the CFL Appeal Account at Westpac, account number 9800-935-794.