The FIJI Water Foundation has awarded $300,000 to 83 teachers through the new FIJI Water School Grants Programme.

Funding will be used to provide supplies, classroom-based experiences and field trips for students.

In total, FIJI School Grants will benefit students at 77 schools across Fiji.

The FIJI School Grants Programme afforded every teacher in Fiji the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to $5000 to purchase basic supplies, offer enrichment activities for students, or take students on an educational field trip.

The programme was launched earlier this year with the goal of funding $100,000 in grants to teachers.

After receiving an overwhelming response of nearly 1000 applications from teachers at more than 400 schools, FIJI Water’s leadership decided to increase the programme budget to $300,000 and offer additional grants.

The projects selected for funding were chosen by a committee of FIJI Water employees.

Notable projects include a beekeeping programme for agricultural students at Vatukaloko Secondary School, a recycled art project for World Environment Day at Vuda District School, and a field trip for Dreketi Central College students to visit historical sites at Savusavu. 

“FIJI Water is proud to launch the School Grants Programme and we are humbled by the incredible number of teachers who applied for funds,” FIJI Water’s global president, Elizabeth Stephenson said.

“We appreciate these teachers’ hard work and are gratified to provide much-needed resources and facilitate exciting experiences for their students.”

FIJI Water staff also worked closely with the Ministry of Education to create this new programme and align it with Fiji’s national curriculum.

Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts Permanent Secretary Alison Burchell said the ministry commended FIJI Water’s new initiative to support educational experiences for school children.

“We are pleased to see companies like FIJI Water supporting our schools and contributing to the success of Fiji’s next generation,” Ms Burchell said.

To see the full list of awardees, please visit www.fijiwaterfoundation.com