North festival committee pledges stronger community impact

Vodafone Festival of the Friendly North will prioritise new and expanded community initiatives following the election of its new president.

Mohammed Saiyum was elected president at the committee’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) yesterday in Labasa.

Mr Saiyum, a senior relationship and sales officer at the Fiji Development Bank, takes on the role after serving on the committee since 2018, progressing from assistant treasurer to treasurer and then vice-president.

The newly elected executive includes vice-presidents John Prasad and Ashish Kumar, secretary Sanjeev Sharma, and treasurer Jagat Prasad.

Mr Saiyum said the committee would continue raising and investing funds in community projects designed to improve livelihoods across Vanua Levu.

“Our main objective is to raise funds to support projects that directly benefit people in the North,” he said.

One of the key ongoing initiatives is providing prosthetic limbs to people affected by non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

“The goal is to assist those who have lost limbs and are unable to move freely. Through this project, many have regained mobility,” Mr Saiyum said.

He added that the initiative has improved both mobility and overall health outcomes for participants.

Mr Saiyum said the committee is planning to identify more beneficiaries and will decide on new projects and the festival theme at its first executive meeting next week.

“I have a very supportive and experienced team, and we aim to build on last year’s achievements,” he said.

Acknowledging the success of previous festivals, Mr Saiyum said he intends to make improvements and deliver an even stronger event this year.