Suva, January 29 – The island of Vatulele came to a standstill on Thursday as the Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports Hon. Iliesa Delana set foot on the island – as first minister on Vatulele to ever visit the island.

Hon. Delana was on Vatulele to meet with youths of Lomanikaya, Bouwaqa, Ekubu and Taunovo villages as part of the ministry’s continuous efforts to reach out to rural youths.

“Minister for Youth and Sports Hon. Laisenia Tuitubou, myself and senior officials of the ministry will continue to reach out to youths around Fiji and enlighten them of the services provided by the ministry,” Hon. Delana told the youths of Lomanikaya and Bouwaqa.

“We are also keen to gather suggestions that will improve our services and the ministry through this visits will conduct consultations on the best targeted assistance that we can provide to rural youth clubs,” said Hon. Delana.

“We will provide targeted assistance that will guarantee and improve the livelihood of the youths and also contribute to the sustainable development of their society and nation building,” said the Assistant Minister.

Village headmen Ratu Emori Ganilau told Hon. Delana “that the youths of the four villages were registered in 2011 but were non-active.”

“We are thankful for Hon. Delana’s visit as it enlightened us of how to meet the requirements set by the ministry so we can be eligible for assistance from Government,” said Ratu Emori.

“Most of the village youth clubs on Vatulele are active but fail to submit reports to the ministry regularly over the past three years,” added Ratu Emori.

“The visit today [Thursday] by the minister has opened new doors for us and we look forward to strengthening communication and relations between us and the ministry for future development and empowerment opportunities,” said Ratu Emori.

Simione Vitaukitoga of Bouwaqa village also said; “The last training held for youths on Vatulele was in 2012 and we look forward to new training opportunities for the youths in the near future.”

“There are great resources on Vatulele and we hope the ministry will provide empowerment training so youths can appreciate and fully utilise the resources to sustain their livelihood,” said Simione.

Hon. Delana has assured the youths of Vatulele that the ministry will conduct a multi-skills, empowerment and capacity building trainings on Vatulele in the near future.

“The women in Vatulele are known for their masi production,” said Hon. Delana. “The ministry will ensure that more training is held on Vatulele so they can add value to the tapa they produce weekly.”

“The ministry will facilitate a small-engine repair and fibre-glass repair workshops for the men of Vatulele so they don’t have to spend more money travelling to Suva or Lautoka for repairs,” said Hon. Delana.

Elders of the four villagers were elated over the assurance by the minister for ministry organised trainings to be held in Vatulele in the near future.

Ekubu village headmen Jeke Tubailagi said; “The offer of training by Hon. Delana is indeed good news for us.”

“Since we depend on the sea for our daily survival and only travel by boat to the mainland, the trainings will surely empower us to maintain our outboard engines and save more money from repairs,” said Tubailagi.

“We also have school dropouts on Vatulele with Form 7 level education. They lack the motivation to become better in life and the vanua is glad the ministry will bring empowerment and capacity building trainings to empower these youths,” added Tubailagi.

Assistant Roko Tui Mr Eroni Matalau revealed to Hon. Delana that Vatulele is a financially stable district of Nadroga.

“Vatulele topped the soli competition during the annual bazaar of the Methodist Church in Suva and also the Nadroga/Navosa festival,” said Mr Matalau.

“They have the will and resources to thrive but lack the capacity to develop further and sustain their development utilising the resources they have and their local economy,” said Mr Matalau.

“I am optimistic that the Ministry of Youth and Sports will unlock the hidden potentials of Vatulele islanders and ensure sustainable development is witnessed on the island in the near future,” said Mr Matalau.