Kelera Ditaiki 
The Foundation for Education for Needy Children has received over 11,600 applications nationwide, but only 5,780 vulnerable children were approved under the 2026 support scheme following a strict assessment process.
FENC National Executive Coordinator Nirmala Nambiar says despite strong demand for education assistance, more than half of applicants missed out due to incomplete documentation or failure to meet eligibility criteria.
“They have to be completed as required in a very proper manner before they are assessed. I mean he’s been going on and I support that and we were very surprised at the quality of the applications that came from all the places with no evidence. Some just came on single applications with no attachments and we can’t be accountable for something like that.”
Nambiar says the initiative is supported by a $300,000 government grant, making it one of Fiji’s largest NGO-led education support programmes.
The funding aims to help children from low-income, rural and island communities access essential school supplies ahead of the new school year.
FENC says the process followed strict governance standards to ensure accountability in the use of public funds, with priority given to families most in need.
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