Page 12 - IB August 2020

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Hemant Kumar’s face was a giveaway that all was not
well.
He had with him his complimentary food pack of rice,
flour, sugar, dhal, biscuits and cooking oil, distributed by
staff from FRIEND, the Foundation of Rural Integrated
Enterprises and Development at the temple grounds in
Nadi Town. But his face still showed strain and sadness.
Hemant lives with his wife and their five children in
Navo, a rural farming community, some 10 kilometres
outside Nadi.
“I have been laid off from my construction work, but
I still can’t access my money with FNPF,” said Hemant.
“I know I have money with them, but they say I’m not
eligible.”

Hemant Kumar - No job and ineligible for help

packs on a weekly basis in Nadi and Lautoka. day), and some 42,922 of these would be children.
Demand keeps on increasing, so much so that FRIEND and The UN has urged the Fijian Government to introduce social
other NGOs opened a fulltime response centre in Nadi on 11 protection measures to widen the scope of assistance under
August. its existing care and protection allowance, as well as its pov-
Other community organisations are providing essential erty benefit scheme. The UN Socio-Economic Impact Assess-
services. Humanitarian organisation, the Then India Sanmarga ment on COVID-19 in Fiji suggests the government introduce
Ikya Sangam (TISI) has offered free lunches to all 26 primary an emergency hardship fund along the lines of the one operat-
and secondary schools it operates across Fiji since July. ing in Cook Islands.
It uses its own funds and donations from members, to “The purpose of the fund should be to provide essential
keep its free lunch programme going for some 27,000 school relief for families and individuals during emergency situations
children. that cannot be supported through other available benefits,
Empower Pacific, another NGO, recorded more than 300% subsidies or grants,” the report states.
increase in calls to its toll-free counseling line between March “The fund should also require recipients, where possible, to
to July. register for employment services and remain productive and
“During the lockdown period, people were feeling very active members of society through volunteering, community
overwhelmed as they could not go to work … and individuals work, or job training.
who were working in the tourism sector and those who were “The temporary fund should be available until 31 December
employed casually, were the ones that were hit the hardest,” 2020 and may cease thereafter,” said the report.
said Prem Singh, Empower’s Mental Health Specialist and It added: “The impact of COVID-19 will increase poverty
Regional Clinical Supervisor. over the coming years, with associated negative impacts on
“Most callers reported that their spouses, sons and daugh- various socio-economic outcomes for families in Fiji. To coun-
ters and themselves who were the main breadwinners in the ter the impact of COVID-19 on poverty, food security, nutri-
household, had been laid off work. People also faced difficul- tion, education outcomes and gender-based violence, it is of
ties in providing food for their families consisting of elderlies utmost importance to ensure that the population continues to
and younger children.” have access to social services and social protection.
Shamima Ali, the founder/coordinator of the Fiji Women’s “While acknowledging the constraints faced by the Govern-
Crisis Centre said the toll- free line they manage on domestic ment and the need for policy trade-offs, maintaining some
violence for the Fijian Government recorded a 200 per cent fiscal space for social sector expenditure during the time of
spike in calls during March and April. economic crises is critical.
The COVID-19 crisis has greatest impact on the poorest and
More than 100K Fijians could fall below the poverty line most vulnerable, with significant intergenerational implica-
Figures released by the United Nations on the possible im- tions.
pacts of the pandemic in Fiji are startling. “The opportunity cost of not ensuring minimum expenditure
In their worst-case scenario modeling, some 115,894 more now will have short, medium and long-term impacts that will
people in Fiji will fall below the poverty line (US$1.90 per require vastly greater expenditure by the state in the future,”

12 Islands Business, August 2020