Update: 6:09PM BEGGARS that have been administered into the Good Samaritan Inn have come out successful said Permanent Secretary for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Dr Josefa Koroivueta.
Through
collaborative efforts between the Church of Nazarene and the Government, Dr
Koroivueta today confirmed their continued commitment to ensure that beggars
are rehabilitated and upskilled for job security.
He said most beggars who have entered the Good Samaritan Inn in
Colo-i-Suva have come out successful after undergoing upskilling and vocational
programs to ensure their independence.
“We still have an ongoing cooperation with the church of Nazarene who
are administering the home where beggars can be rehabilitated before they can
graduate into an employment or any sort of livelihood programs and some of them
are actually back with their families,” he said.
“At the home they indulge in activities that can earn them an income and
the home has been proactive in seeking employment for them. Some have been
employed by Crest Chicken as it is nearby and it has been a successful program.
“They have undergone professional counseling and spiritual counseling to
help them as well.”
The ministry identifies those who are begging on the streets, and after
notifying the church, they generate a pathway whereby beggars can be taken them
out of the streets to earn them an income.
Dr Koroivueta also said the ministry have held talks with the church to
adopt similar programs in other parts of Fiji.
Last year, 202
beggars were registered in the country by the ministry.
