The Suva City visit will be a memory etched in the hearts and minds of the 40 Sunday school children from Yale Kadavu.
The children who fundraised $10,000 for two years to make their trip to Suva possible will have a lot to share when they return to their island home.
The young group filled The Fiji Times newsroom with their sweet melodious voices as they sang songs for the editorial team.
They lit up the room with their bright colourful attire — bringing that festive feel to the busy office.
This was their first visit to Suva as a group and they were beaming with joy at the anticipation of the hustle and bustle of life in Suva.
The children who were between the ages of four and 12 were hoping to learn new things during their trip.
They were accompanied by 12 of their Sunday school teachers.
They arrived in Suva on Monday (December 11) and stayed at the Lami Village community hall.
During their trip, they had the opportunity to visit the Fiji Museum, the St Giles Hospital, the naval base, the Fiji Police Academy in Nasova and The Fiji Times.
Their excursion was initially planned for last year but was delayed due to the lack of funding to cover $10,000 for their travel expenses and meals.
The initiative was introduced by the church (Yale Methodist Church) to broaden the children’s knowledge on what other opportunities were available to them after school as there were a lot of school dropouts on the island.
“There are a lot of cases of school dropouts, most of the children in the village only reach Year 8 or Year 10,” the Yale Methodist Church head of Sunday school, Ledua Radovu said.
“Most of the time we tend to use money for unnecessary things, it’s best that we use our money on initiatives that will inspire children to do better in life. They are our future.”
The children visited The Fiji Times on December 13 and returned to Kadavu on Friday, December 15.
