Villagers of Tokaimalo in Ra will soon undergo a basic carpentry course to assist them rebuild their homes destroyed by Tropical Cyclone Winston.

This was revealed in Parliament yesterday by the Minister for Youth and Sports, Laisenia Tuitubou.

“Three weeks ago, I was in the Tikina of Tokaimalo and Nokonoko (a total of 10 villages) in the Ra Province, and saw that many were still living in tents since TC Winston hit,” he said.

Mr Tuitubou said there were still shortages of carpenters and builders.

“I am delighted to say that through our partnership with the Technical College (part of the Ministry of Education), we will be offering a basic carpentry course from this weekend for the people of Tokaimalo so they can rebuild their houses,” he said.

Mr Tuitubou said some villagers had received basic carpentry equipment from Habitat for Humanity in addition to the building materials.

The training, he said, would assist the communities to rebuild homes and their lives.

“This is the power of non-formal education as training can be offered anywhere and at any time for the betterment of our communities,” he said.

Mr Tuitubou said there was need for support non-formal education.

He said in 2016 the same training was also conducted on Koro Island as there was need for more skilled carpenters to speed up the rebuilding programme on the island.

“There were 98 young people who attended the two courses who received certificates of attainment. This also provides the platform for these youths to pursue for further courses with Technical College of Fiji or other recognised training providers,” Mr Tuitubou said.

He encouraged school leavers or dropouts to involve themselves in the informal economic sector to develop their full potential through non-formal education.

“Our carpentry training is accredited by the Fiji National University and we continue to work with the Fiji Higher Education Commission to ensure all our training courses are accredited for the benefit of our young people,” Mr Tuitubou said.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

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