Young Stars Wow International Audience
The star of COP23 on Thursday was 10-year-old Shalvi Sakshi, Year Five student of Nasarawaqa Primary School in Bua.
She won hearts and commendation during her first official COP23 event in Bonn. Accompanied by her father Surendra Raj, young Sakshi arrived into Bonn on Wednesday.
She is the Northern Division winner and national runner-up of the national climate change oratory contest.
She delivered an energetic and power-packed speech at the Youth Power the Planet event for Climate Action.
While she is the youngest Fijian delegation, she was also the youngest member of the panel and her retorts and sharp to the point responses had the audience captivated.
Speaking to the Fiji Sun prior to her speech, a confident Sakshi gave a detailed account of her travel to Bonn via Sydney, Singapore and Zurich but as soon as she took the stage, the young climate activist took over and wowed an international audience who had not known what to expect.
Her proud father sat in the audience next to Attorney-General and head of the Fijian Delegation Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
Prime Minister and COP23 President Voreqe Bainimarama and his wife Mary Bainimarama also sat in to listen to young Shakshi speak. The second star of the event was 12-year-old Timoci Naulusala from Naivicula District School in Tailevu.
He addresses world leaders on Monday but his presence has already started making news in German media.