Building of Resilient Communities in Ra , Fiji

On behalf of the local residents of Nakarotubu District on the coast of Ra Province, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to GlobalGiving Donors for your generous support to our project.

As we work with the villagers, it is apparent that they are still struggling to survive from the aftermath of Cyclone Winston. We felt that the implementation of a simple approach for mitigation, including mangrove rehabilitation, does not suffice. We realized that assurance of food security and sustainable subsistence living are very important in uplifting the economic condition of the villagers.

We started working on these targets on March 11 to 15 when we conducted basic organic training involving the 45 local villagers, especially women from Veidrala and Naocobau Village. During the training, we engaged them to come and learn the organic farming practices, which will be effective for the production of healthy and sustainable food. We also encourage the involvement of women to participate since they are very active on daily chores whether looking for resources in the sea or tilling their land to plant crops. 

The response from the local were overwhelming and interest were noted from other nearby communities that this kind of training to be conducted to them. Equipped with our training center in Nasau, Sigatoka Province in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, as well as our several decades of working experience in promoting organic farming, we are committed to improve the quality of life of the villagers.

On behalf of the local residents of Nakarotubu District on the coast of Ra Province, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to GlobalGiving Donors for your generous support to our project.

Several years of working at grassroots, we felt the need to improve awareness and demonstrate long-term benefits of conservation actions and sustainable management of natural resources among the local villagers. The local communities` preference for short-term financial gains over long-term economic and environmental benefits drives them to engage in illegal and unsustainable harvesting of resources, such as cutting of mangrove trees for firewood.

As we adopt the concept of learning-by-doing, we are addressing this problem by putting the locals at the core of conservation, protection, and rehabilitation. On September 18, 2018, we organized a dialogue session with the locals of Nakarotubu District, particularly the women to encourage their active participation into our Coastal Management Project. After the session, the participants joined in the mangrove planting activities to replace the once uprooted and damaged by the strong waves.

Meanwhile, we are working with the village leaders in strengthening law enforcement to help reduce, control, and manage direct pressures on the environment, particularly the mangrove forests. Somehow, with these efforts, it would contribute to the reduction and vulnerability of the villagers from natural disasters.

We would be grateful for outside support, in any forms for us to realize our goals.