Product packaging to support young entrepreneurs
Young entrepreneurs from parts of Vanua Levu continue to manufacture valueadded products for their start-up business. These value-added products include body balms, virgin coconut oil and activated charcoal soap.
Sustainable business training
Young entrepreneurs underwent sustainable business training through a youth pilot project from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Human Development (YesDev).
After the completion of the pilot project, local social enterprise Loving Islands continued to work with young entrepreneurs providing online mentorship and support for market access and business development.
Loving Islands delivers sustainable community development projects in Fiji as well as manufacture organic and natural products to support community income.
Supporting young entrepreneurs
Founding director Litia Kirwin said she continues to purchase bulk supplies of organic activated charcoal from Tukavesi village, organic raw honey from Kanakana village, and traditional homewares from Lumiboso settlement in Cakaudrove.
She said for some of these young entrepreneurs, these products were their main source of income.
“Participants across all four training locations designed their own packaging labels and marketing signage as part of the programme. “Youths were allowed to form their own working groups, which were usually done based on location, as each training site consisted of multiple surrounding villages.
Loving Islands was contracted by UNDP to deliver community trainings in sustainable farming and organic certification, product making, and business literacy, which reached over 220 individuals across four locations in Nabouwalu, Seaqaqa, and Tukavesi in Vanua Levu, and Delaivuna in Southern Taveuni.