The Government through the Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation is committed to assisting the most needy in our societies, most of whom are senior citizens, both in the rural and peri-urban localities.
In efforts to alleviate poverty and improve the living conditions of destitute the Government has implemented the Food Voucher programme, which provides $30 vouchers to all social welfare recipients, to meet their basic food needs.
Reaching out to those living in poverty, the Government announced the new food voucher programme last year.
Three categories eligible for the new food voucher are-elderly 70-year-old and above, for school children in rural areas living in poverty and for pregnant mothers visiting clinics in the rural areas.
There are many untold stories of how Government assistance is touching the lives of the poor, vulnerable and the disable.
Here is a story about elderly people surviving on the outer island of Dreketi Village, who are beneficiaries of the social welfare assistance.
The first beneficiary is Apete Rakesa, 70, and his wife with no one else to take care of the couple. Life for the elderly in the village is not easy, especially when there is no one to look after them.
According to Mr Rakesa he is lucky to have social welfare assistance for the last four years for it’s through the monthly $60 family assistance and $30 cash food voucher (total $90 cash per month) he is now able to afford a better living for him and his wife.
“It helps me to look after myself and my wife as both of us are old and can’t work now. The food voucher has really supplemented the nutrition intake as with it we are now able to buy our basic food items,” he said.
“We thank government for looking after the welfare and needs of the elderly in communities in the rural and outer islands.”
Expressing similar views, 79-year-old widow, Usania Nai said she was thankful to have been assisted by the Government through the $90 social welfare assistance she receives every month.
She has been on assistance for four years now and is glad to receive the $60 family assistance on top of the $30 cash food voucher because it greatly supplements her living.
“I am now able to afford food on my table and through the cash voucher I am able to buy groceries. When the boat comes then I go to Taveuni and buy the basic food items or if someone goes from the village I give them the money to get the groceries for me,” Nai said.
“I thank the Government for assisting us because elderly in the village don’t have any one to look after us and we rely on assistance to live. We feel secured and safe that we have got this assistance, especially we have got the hope to live a life with dignity and self-respect.
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