Makitalena Rasigatale could not hold back her tears yesterday when her son was given help to continue his education.

They were tears of joy.

She reminisced on the difficulties they encountered, being a single mother, and trying to provide the best for Ratu Manoa Rokotavaga.

Ratu Manoa, 17, a year 12 student, scored one of the top marks in the Fiji School Leaving Certificate examination at Jai Narayan College.  He received 473 out of 500 marks

With the income she earns working for Hot Bread Kitchen, Ms Rasigatale manages to pay for their rent at the Public Rental Board in Raiwai and the balance to cover travelling expenses, food and their daily upkeep.

She expressed her deep gratitude to Foundation for the Education of Needy Children (FENC) Fiji for coming to their assistance at the time when they needed it the most.

She said she was delighted to be informed that Ratu Manoa was sponsored to attend Year 13 at Jai Narayan College in the 2017 academic year.

FENC Fiji is a cause oriented, charitable, non-profit, non-government organisation whose focus is on the poorest of the poor children in Fiji. The Foundation was registered in November 2009 under the Charitable Trust Act.

Ratu Manoa promised that he would study hard to achieve the highest marks in the Year 13 exam and to qualify for the Toppers Scholarship in 2018.

John Tuiono, FENC Fiji national co-ordinator, said it was heartening to see these students, the poorest of the poor children in Fiji, provided access and equal opportunity to realise their potential through FENC’s education support programme.

He was first sponsored by FENC Fiji in 2011 when he was in Year 7 and continues to receive financial assistance to cover his school uniforms, bag, sandals, exercise books and stationeries ever since.

Mr Tuiono thanked the Government for the annual grant of $200,000 and private companies, philanthropists, foreign embassies, business houses and individuals for their continuous and kind support.

He added that tax-paying individuals and organisations making any cash donations to FENC Fiji, of an aggregate amount of up to $100,000, can claim 100 per cent as a tax deductible expense.

Edited by Ranoba Baoa

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