A NADI family that has been sheltering in the ruins of an abandoned burnt out house for more than two weeks after Tropical Cyclone Evan blew their home away has finally received assistance.
The first to come to the aid of Timaima Vanakitoga and her family was the Rotary Club of Lautoka. Club president Rick Eyre responded immediately after their plight was highlighted, making a trip to Nadi to see for himself the decrepit condition of the temporary shelter the family was living in.
“I thank Rotary for coming forward to assist my family during our time of need. This assistance will help us as we rebuild our lives and our home,” an emotional Ms Vanakitoga said.
Mr Eyre said Rotary Lautoka felt compelled to help Ms Vanakitoga and her family because the desperate situation they were in.
“The donated items included an emergency response kit, shelter box, food packs, two cartons of clothes and three mattresses,” he said.
“We have two relief teams working in the west. They respond to calls for assistance that come through the Rotary network or friends of Rotary like The Fiji Times.”
Mr Eyre said Rotary Fiji was a delivery agent that donors trusted because of their proactive approach to assisting the disadvantaged.
“This is only possible with the highly-motivated and passionate team that we have,” he said.
Mr Eyre said Rotary had assisted 575 families including Koroboya Village in Ba and surrounding settlements where movement was restricted because of a typhoid outbreak. Fiji Red Cross furnished the family with tarpaulins and sanitary packs while DISMAC confirmed food rations this week.