FIGHTING poverty has been an ongoing issue for Tailevu Province with the government allocating about $637,000 in the first quarter of this year for capital projects to help alleviate the poverty in the province.
Commissioner Central Lieutenant Colonel Laisenia Tuitubou said about half of that amount had been spent.
Lt-Col Tuitubou, who officially opened a poverty reduction awareness workshop in Korovou on Wednesday, said a major objective of such awareness was to motivate people to reduce poverty by using available resources.
He said people needed to create confidence or ownership knowing that reducing poverty was everybody's business.
"Reducing poverty to a negligible level is a key strategic priority for enhancing social development and has been a core policy objective of government over the years," Lt- Col Tuitubou said.
"Poverty is a lot of things. It is not having the means to provide for the basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, health care, and education."
Lt-Col said another form of poverty was the lack of information.
"A poverty of information is when one does not have the full knowledge of information to be able to access nursing stations, schools, proper infrastructure and water.
"Having the workshop will close the poverty information gap in which members of the public and school students will be able to access the necessary information to help them make informed decisions."
Reducing poverty to a negligible level is one of government's key policies.
It is listed as pillar 8 in the People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress intruduced by the government in 2008.