SPECIAL NEEDS

He came to us as a shy boy who would only answer to what was asked of him. Over the period of months he is now more communicative and has a ready smile for those visiting the cardmakers workshop at FRIEND. Shafeel joined FRIEND right after he finished his education at the Lautoka Special School. After initial training, he started making newspaper bags for a living. His newspaper bags are what FRIEND uses when it makes sales from its office, shop or stalls. With his income Shafeel is able to make his share of contribution towards his expenses. He lives in an extended household with his mother and grandparents.

Apimeleki is a former air steward who suffered a spinal injury in a friendly rugby match more than a decade ago. This left Apimeleki bound to his wheelchair. With a young family to support, Apimeleki turned to his childhood hobby of drawing creative sketches in an effort to earn some money. When his art pieces were submitted to FRIEND, he was adviced that he may have a chance of a more regular income should he put his art on cards. Thus Friend’s Fiji Style black and white sketch cards were born. Each card is a handcrafted original piece of work.

Priya is still hailed as the girl who made history when she participated in a local beauty pageant with the support of FRIEND against the other normal girls and through her participation highlighted the abilities of the Deaf community along with raising awareness on related Deaf issues like unemployment, language barriers, services and education opportunities for Deaf. Priya associated with FRIEND through her fellow Deaf colleagues in the card making workshop. Miss FRIEND was crowned the Miss Sugar Charity at the end of the 2007 pageant.

RURAL WOMEN

Saras aunty as she is known within FRIEND travels all the way from Ba, a neighbouring town to cook her ever popular Friend’s Fiji Style Tamarind Chutney in FRIEND’s quality controlled kitchen. She started her Tamarind Chutney Project with the Ba Senior Citizen Center in 2004. But later agreed to continue her cooking in Lautoka after the Center opted to bow out of the project. She says she has found a new sense of financial independence and feels empowered with her ability to be able to contribute to the family’s needs and wants.

Kelera participated in FRIEND Health initiative losing 12 kg within a month to serve as an inspiration to others in her community to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Kelera was overweight. But following an awareness program on healthy lifestyles, she started eating healthy and exercising regularly. She is now seen as a health activist in her community advocating for people to be more responsible for what they eat.

Salome greets us with a big big smile waiting eagerly to show us her backyard garden which has neat rows of cabbages, long bean, cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, garlic and onion. Salome is part of the group of women from her community who is participating in the FRIEND Community Development Course.  She giggles when she says that women who are not part of the course are also beginning to plant now. She says this is a major change in her community and even herself who were never into gardening despite the availability of land around their houses.

Rural Men

The 32 year old unemployed men could not believe that he had made cash out of trash. Isikeli Bainitabua had taken part in a community training to set up a compost heap in his backyard garden. When his compost soil was ready, he sold it to a nearby resort and received cash in his hands. These days he has stopped hunting for a job and is now busy collecting kitchen waste from the neighbors as well as refuse from the market to feed his compost.  Bainitabua says he is helping keep the environment clean as well as being his own boss and making money.

Jone, Tuvou and Jerry are youths who are involved in Friend’s Fiji Style recycled papermaking project. One of these boys has a tertiary qualification in Agriculture and another is a professional chef. In their fight against unemployment the three, who hail from the same community have joined hands to work on a papermaking initiative. The group is churning out creative papers that are being used for Handmade Cards and other crafts. The boys say they love the challenge of papermaking. Meanwhile the boys are also part of the FRIEND Community Development Course that   is being carried out in their community by the FRIEND Governance Team. On the days of their scheduled courses the trio makes all efforts to wrap up their papermaking in time to be present at the Community Development sessions.

Sarafina had had no idea what she was getting herself into when she enrolled for the Youth Employment Network Program at FRIEND. Following the program Sara was thrilled to hear that she was getting a chance to gain work experience with a popular Radio station in Lautoka, Maimix. After her attachment she has now fopund full time work with the radio station as a sales person. “The YEN workshop provided me with a range of information that has helped boost my self confidence and it helps me in my work.”

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