Over 100 youth are earning money clearing the extensive debris left behind on Koro Island.
Following Tropical Cyclone Winston debris littered the beach and villages on the island.
Safe waste removal and recycling will also prevent sanitation and water-borne related diseases.
Alison Burchell-Permanent Secretary-Ministry of Youth and Sports said “so they were trained in “safety aspects related to waste management breaking down structures safely so people are not injured,separating the waste and then disposing of it so they’ve been working essentially since Easter Monday.”
Youth have been given equipment by UNDP to help clear debris.
The cash youths are earning will help them rebuild their lives.
She said “Its about $20 a day if they work the full day,its not a huge amount of money but it will make a significant difference to the young people we hope.There are 129 youths and of that number 17 are women”
Currently the youth are clearing debris from 4 villages on Koro Island.
The debris removal also allows youths to move onto the second phase of the project
“What we want to do is to partner with the Ministry of Agriculture to get seeds and cuttings and so that we can help to reconstruct the economic component of life in Koro and so we can return to some level of food security and income generation for the community.”
1 hundred thousand Fijian dollars is being provided for the Cash for work Scheme by UNDP.