Back to school in 2022

It’s been a busy time for our team and I’m really pleased to let you know we have been able to get 57 Girls back to school this year! 

Thanks to all your support we raised enough funds for the uniforms, books and bags needed to start the year on a positive note. We also arranged school visits and home visits to ensure the Girls we’ve been working with were set up for school, along with meeting with the Ministry of Health to organise a second dose of the COVID19 vaccination for those who needed it. 

Unfortunately the cyclone and heavy rains in the Pacific have affected the most vulnerable families and many of the Girls we work with in Fiji are still facing barriers to education. Parents are unable to work due to flooded roads and some families don’t have food. We have provided 10 families with relief packages and hope to assist another 10.

For example two sisters Swasti and Angela needed our support – their father doesn’t have permanent work and they were struggling. We came to hear about their situation from a local support agency as it looked unlikely that the Girls were going to make it back to school. Urmila worked with them to understand the barriers they were facing and helped to overcome these, she provided bus passes, uniforms and school books, and we’re pleased to confirm that they both started back at school this term.

We also have the story of Priti who left a challenging home situation and found herself in our Fiji community with her mum and nowhere to stay. We worked with a local school to ensure Priti was enrolled this year. She has recently started in Year 5 and is settling in well – none of this would have been possible without your support. 

We have so many stories like these and we will continue to share them throughout the year. We will also continue to run our $5 Friday campaign, so keep an eye out for our emails and social posts, as I’ve said before those small donations really add up to making a big difference.

We are currently fundraising to support Girls affected by the floods and need to raise at least $2000 to ensure they have food and can continue their studies. Every bit helps so please donate now.