Fuel hike squeezes struggling families

Families are already praying for their next meal. Young people locked out of independent living. Informal workers earning $10 on a bad day.

And now, a fuel price surge that threatens to push the cost of everything even higher.

This masthead spoke to families across Suva's informal settlements living below the poverty line - and found households already stretched beyond their limits, with the new fuel increases arriving just as they were barely holding on.

Petrol on Viti Levu jumped from $2.44 to $2.93 per litre, diesel from $2.14 to $2.89, and kerosene - used by many low-income families - surged from $1.69 to $2.40. When fuel costs rise, so does everything else: transport, food, rent.

Government says relief is coming - but for families surviving on faith and cash jobs, it cannot come soon enough.