Navua youths undergo empowerment training

Peer pressure has been identified as one of the major hindrances towards the selfdevelopment of youths of Cagilaba Settlement.

This was highlighted by Jimi Mamaiko while addressing officials during the closing of the week long youth empowerment training in the past week.

Mr Mamaiko said that the Seed of Success empowerment training was the first of its kind to be held at the settlement where majority of the population were Fijians of Solomon Islands descent.

“The formation and registration of our youth club has brought about a sense of unity and kinship. We now have youths from the two nearby villages joining our youth group and we are sure that this is a new beginning for us,” he explained.

Cagilaba settlement with its 13 households sits along banks of the Navua River to its back and facing the road to Nakavu Village which also connects it to Navua Town.

Ministry of Youth and Sports official, Iowane Soko, encouraged the youths to keep learning through such empowerment initiatives.

The Ministry also donated a volleyball set and a rugby and soccer ball for the youth group. With facilitators from the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Health and Medical Services, the empowerment training was attended by more than 20 members of the youth group.

The ANZ Bank’s Business Development, Financial Inclusion and Microfinance Unit was also part of the training.