Aliz Pacific raised $6907 during their morning tea for the Walk On Walk Strong drive at the Bank of the South Pacific Life at Dominion House at Thomson Street on Wednesday.

August is declared cancer awareness among young children. Aliz Pacific is the first company to host a fundraiser for the cause.

The morning tea was attended by WOWs Kids Group founder, Taholo Kami, Kontiki Finance, and Bank of the South Pacific, Westpac and Aon insurance company.

Minister for Health, Rosy Akbar was chief guest at the event. She commended the Women in Business for their initiative.

“A lot of children have lost their lives due to cancer if it is not detected early. This battle cannot stop after one month. The fight against cancer must to go on as it’s a very emotional issue when it comes to the health and wellbeing of our children,” Ms Akbar said.

“One of the challenges we face is reaching out to those rural communities and this is where the NGO’s come in to provide the much needed support,” she said.

The Ministry of Health’s sports and social club donated $1007.

Mr Kami founded this organisation in 2009 after he lost his 15-year-old daughter to cancer. WOWs Kids has since provided financial and moral support to families with children suffering from cancer.

“My daughter before she died had wanted me to build a resource centre,” Mr Kami said.

“She was fascinated about the health facilities as at that time we were in Tonga and when we got to New Zealand she said Wow! Can’t we do better with treatment?” Mr Kami said.

“She wanted a pool of funds to support child cancer. She also asked me to set up a fund for those who could not pay their school fees and the final one she said was for me to build a hospital,” he said.

“When I told her ‘we might live in a tent’, she only said ‘dad don’t worry, I have left the tools behind’.

“She composed the Walk on Walk Strong song and that is where the acronym WOWS come from.”

Edited by Karalaini Waqanidrola

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