[Photo: ADRA Fiji]

Hundreds of villagers on Koro Island are benefiting from various development projects funded by the European Union.

One of these is the Adventist Development and Relief Agency of Fiji’s Learning Environmental Adaptation for Development by Civil Society Organizations.

European Union Ambassador to the Pacific, Sujiro Seam, says this three-year LEAD project focuses on identifying possible solutions for supporting the transition to an economy that is climate resilient and leads to low carbon emissions.

Seam commissioned a new biodigester for the Vunisalato Farming Cluster, marking the official handover of this site to the community youth group.

He also visited project sites in Sinuvaca and encouraged the villagers to be resilient and increase their capacity to face adversity.

“And in this more uncertain world, you the people of Koro Island have to learn how to count on yourself. This is what we are trying to do with this lead project – learning environmental adaptation for development.”

Seam says this has been done by building the capacity of both local CSOs and community members for developing climate-smart agricultural techniques, recycling systems, and waste management systems, among others.

The LEAD project has worked with more than 100 food security and livelihood cluster members, 20 government officials, and 14 communities on the island.

The ambassador says these stakeholders provide support to over 800 households with at least 3,187 individuals.