Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises & Development

🌿 Empowering the Women of Naqarani, Rewa in Agribusiness!

​True economic self-reliance begins at the grassroots level. Today, we wrapped up an intensive, 2-day Value Chain & Business Financial Literacy Training with the vibrant Naqarani Women's Group in Rewa!

​Building on our recent collaboration with Live and Learn Fiji under the EnABLE Project (supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry Fiji and the World Bank), we brought these high-impact sessions directly to the women of Naqarani to help transform local harvests into sustainable, market-ready enterprises.
​Over the last two days, the participants jumped straight into practical, hands-on learning focused on two critical areas:

​Value-Addition & Technology: Moving beyond raw production, the women mastered food safety protocols, proper packaging, and labeling standards to make their products ready for formal markets.
​Financial Literacy & Governance: The group mapped out business budgets, tackled product costing to protect profit margins, and navigated the legal steps for rural business registration.
​By equipping the Naqarani Women's Group with these tangible business skills and climate-smart strategies, we are securing both food security and immediate economic resilience right here in the delta.

​Vinaka vakalevu to all the determined women who participated, and to Live & Learn Fiji for a fantastic partnership. When we invest in women, we uplift entire communities!
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🌞💡 Bringing Light, Safety and Protection to Vudibasoga Catholic Boarding School 💡🌞

Reliable lighting is essential for the safety, wellbeing, and protection of children.

FRIEND is grateful to have completed the installation of solar floodlights and streetlights at Vudibasoga Catholic Boarding School, located in the interior of Seaqaqa, Macuata, approximately 30 minutes from Seaqaqa Town.

The school provides education and boarding facilities for children aged 6–13 years, including students from across the three provinces of Vanua Levu. With no access to electricity, students and staff previously faced significant challenges after dark, particularly when moving between dormitories, footpaths, washroom areas, and other parts of the school compound.

Through this solar lighting initiative, lights have now been installed around key areas of the school, including footpaths, washrooms, outdoor spaces, and the wider school compound. These improvements strengthen child safety and safeguarding by reducing risks associated with dark and isolated areas, supporting safer movement at night, and giving students, teachers, and caregivers greater peace of mind.

For boarding schools, especially those caring for young children, safe infrastructure is not optional. It is part of creating a protective and supportive learning environment where children can feel secure, cared for, and able to thrive.

We sincerely thank Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Australian NGO Program and Caritas Australia for making this important project possible and for helping improve safety and wellbeing for children in remote school.