There is an increasing percentage of Fijians that have a disability.

According to the 2017 Census, people living with disability make up 12.8 percent of the total population.

Minister for Women Children and Poverty Alleviation, Mereseini Vuniwaqa says to better address the need of persons living with a disability, the ministry together with the Australia-Pacific Technical College is conducting Family Caregivers community trainings to ensure they are well taken care of.

“This training recognises the work that you do on a voluntary basis. This training recognises the need to empower our communities to be able to look after their loved ones who are in need of special individual support. This training is an acknowledgement of the demographic make-up of Fiji and the demands that it will place on our society in 2 to 3 decades ahead of us. This training will be the first of many.”

Vuniwaqa says the training will help up skill community workers and family members to provide better care for people with disability.

The ministry is currently underway with its first Community Training Workshop for Family Caregivers in the Lomaiviti Group.

Meanwhile, over one hundred thousand Fijians are currently living with a disability.