Basic humanitarian needs are going unmet in Fiji say charities trying to provide food for Fijians caught up in the country's health and humanitarian crisis. Basic food supplies being taken to families in Viti Levu by a Save the Children worker. Thousands of food packs have been distributed across the nation by non-government organisations since the second wave outbreak began in April. But, as the situation worsens, many families in quarantine areas have been living hand to mouth, and the organisations are calling for more donations.
Just one meal a day was the reality for some in remote areas, as the country continued to grapple with a worsening health crisis, said Sashi Kiran, the director of Friend the Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises and Development. And some of Fiji's most vulnerable, like the elderly and disabled had been missing out on vital food packs. That's all they were eating," Kiran said. People were desperate to get their hands on food to feed their families, and many were now unemployed and isolating at home she said.
UN Women support to our Central division Covid Relief team, food packs, adult diapers and infant milk formula. Some families are hard to find because there's no addresses, no house numbers. People lining up for food parcels. An urgent meeting was called this week with the Fijian government, United Nations and social services to improve the nation-wide food distribution plan.
Fiji Council of Social Services representative Vani Catanasiga said they had delivered close to 10, food packs since the crisis began in April.
She hoped the organisations would be able to organise together to avoid doubling up in providing food to some areas. A woman picking up grocery supplies for her family from Save the Children in Fiji. Covid has been spreading rapidly in the Central and Western division near Suva, putting pressure on an already stretched health system. But the organisation's chief executive for Fiji, Sharaina Ali, said they had a waitlist of more than more requests, including from pregnant women and mothers needing nappies and baby formula.
