Update: 4:03PM METHODIST Church in Fiji president Reverend Dr Tevita Bainivanua will join the crew of Fiji’s iconic traditional sailing canoe, the Uto Ni Yalo, this week as it sails to Matuku in the Lau group of islands.
Rev Bainivanua will join the Uto ni Yalo in Moala and participate in activities on the island that focuses on building community resilience to climate change, as well as explore opportunities to advance traditional seafaring as a means of reducing Fiji’s eastern islands reliance on fossil fuels.
A statement from the church stated that Rev Bainivanua and his wife would then sail to Matuku where they would join in environmental and climate change awareness activities, as well as officiating the induction of the Divisional Superintendent of the Methodist Church’s Matuku Division.
“I have followed the voyages of the Uto Ni Yalo and heard a lot about their work and mission from their volunteer chaplain Rev James Bhagwan,” he said in the statement.
“The church’s symbol of its New Exodus is a Drua sailing through rough seas. The work of the Uto Ni Yalo Trust is an example to the church of visionary courage and commitment to care for the ocean and environment and resilience in the face of climate change through sustainable sea transport.”
Uto ni Yalo Trust secretary Dwain Qalovaki said the Lau group of islands was highly biodiverse in reef fish that supported well-being and livelihoods.
