People living in Silana Village in Tailevu are thankful for the Saemaul Undong Initiative as assistance provided has improved their lives and taught them better practices.
Tailevu provincial representative for the National Resources Owners Council, Sanaila Rokotuivuna says through this initiative, the villagers have constructed their footpaths, driveways, village hall and office for their headman and also utilised the unused land around their village to plant crops and vegetables.
Rokotuivuna says this initiative has also provided them with knowledge on how to utilise recyclable products and unused land.
He says they first practiced how to provide three meals in a day before selling their produce at the market.
He says every three months they transfer their recyclable items to Wailada in Lami.
Rokotuivuna says one of the major challenges that they are facing is where to dump diapers as they do not have a proper site to dispose it off.
He further says improper disposal leads to an increase in climate change.
He adds every year the Saemaul Undong gives them $50,800 to run a project in the village and the development does not only benefit one person but the whole village.
Rokotuivuna says they Initiative has committed to assist the village for five years where this is the fourth year.
He says their last project for the year is to install solar for the village hall which is expected to be complete by the end of this year.
He says Silana Village was fortunate to be one of the three villages in Fiji to be selected in 2016 and given the aid funded by the Samuel Undong and the other two villages are Mau and Naimasimasi in Tailevu.
Rokotuivuna is urging every Fijian to work together and build a better Fiji.
