Clubs Receive Farming Equipment From Govt

Government is all about empowering youths and will continue to do that, says Minister for Youth and Sports, Parveen Bala.

Mr Bala was officiating at the youth farm initiative grant handover ceremony at Na­nuku Village Community Hall in Yakete, Ba earlier this week.

A total of five Ba-based youth groups of 120 youths were fortunate to be recipients of the grant.

The five youth clubs were Tukuraki Youth Club, Makosoi Youth Club, Nanuku Youth Club, Leinatabua Youth Club and the Rara Youth Club.

Mr Bala highlighted that the youth farm initiative programme was introduced dur­ing the COVID-19 pandemic and since then, thousands of youths around the country benefited greatly from it.

“At that time our youths who were em­ployed in towns and cities went back to their respective villages and settlements,” he said.

“As a ministry, we wanted to know at that point in time what were some of the things we could do for our youths so that at least they would have food on the table.”

The majority of the youths who are reg­istered with the ministry requested this grant.

There is a partnership with landowners, the ministry and the youth clubs and it’s re­ally working well.

He encouraged the youths to work hard.

“Don’t just do farming for a few months and forget about it because the journey that you young people have decided to take on is the correct one going into the future,” he said.

“That assurance I give you because we want continuity not to do it for three or four months and forget about it, this has to happen and it can only happen if we work together.”

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