Fijian French based player Peceli Yato is calling on his fellow countrymen living overseas to reach out and help their loved ones affected by the pandemic in Fiji.
He did exactly the same after assisting more than 70 families from his Narewa Village in Nadroga that were barely surviving and were feeling the full brunt of COVID-19.
Speaking to this newspaper via social media, Yato said he was moved by a phone call by his mother who explained to him the struggles those in the village were going through.
“I thought about how life was when I was in the village back in the days and I knew they were going to struggle because of this pandemic,” he said.
“And during this pandemic where a lot of families are finding it hard to put food on the table I felt it was only right to call home and help out.”
The 28-year-old man said those playing overseas should always remember their families at home and ensure they are OK.
“No matter how successful we become and the things we achieve in life we should always remember where we started from.”
Yato’s mother Unaisi Senibitu said the majority of those in the village worked for an exporter company which was now closed. She said their major source of income came from the exporting company.
“I just thought it would be good for Yato to help us all in the village because of the struggles we were going through,” she said.
“Yato has been very supportive and I thank him for what he has been doing for the villagers.”
Village headman Navitalai Bakewa said he couldn’t thank Yato enough for attending to their call for help.
He said the assistance provided could last them for more than a month. “Vinavalevu (thank you) Yato,” he said.
“I want to thank his parents for the humble upbringings and for reaching out to him to help the villagers.”
Part of the assistance were 20 sacks of peas, 80 buckets of biscuits, 80-10kg rice, 80-10kg flour and other basic food items.
