Resort helps districts with food packs

TWO districts in the Yasawa islands that have been heavily affected by COVID-19 cases were assisted by former guests and staff members of Turtle Island Resort.

The resort began their campaign to assist more than 500 families through donations made by their international guests.

According to the resort, six weeks-worth of food packs were delivered to each household within the Nacula and Yasawa districts consisting of 13 villages and two settlements.

Resort managing director Richard Evanson Jr said this was the second food relief they had provided during the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.

“The second COVID-19 wave hit Fiji in April, which resulted in travel to and from our region and Viti Levu being restricted – affecting domestic tourism, fishermen and farmers’ ability to sell produce into the Lautoka area, as well as accessing urban supplies,” he said.

“We hoped to alleviate some of the challenges faced by our community by providing these food rations, as well to support the health and wellbeing of our community members by reducing the need to travel to and from Viti Levu, which in turn would further reduce the likelihood of COVID-19 getting through the borders and reaching us before everyone had a chance to be vaccinated.”

Throughout the pandemic, Turtle Island has run a number of COVID-19 relief programs to help its local community.

These included donating essential supplies such as fishing and farming equipment to the villages, safely reuniting families through a repatriation program, helping students go back to school, creating a barter system with the villages as a means for acquiring fuel and food and helping drive vaccine awareness in the area.