Pacific Islands Program National Program Officer, Elenoa Fuli.

The ‘Combatting Misinformation and Hate Speech Surrounding COVID-19’ in Fiji project was launched today.

The aim of the project is to address the stigma associated with testing positive for COVID-19.

Pacific Islands Program National Program Officer, Elenoa Fuli, says the global spread of COVID-19 has been mirrored by diffusion of misinformation thus there is an urgent need to advocate on the stigma for testing positive for COVID-19.

“There was nothing allocated for misinformation and hate speech more like information dissemination. Through USAID and IRI, we have been able to engage with our local counterparts here in Fiji.”

Under the project three sub-grants of $10, 000 each have been given to civil society organizations that will be used to educate Fijians on how they can protect themselves and support those impacted by the pandemic.