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COVID-19 RESPONSE


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UN-Habitat reaches over 200 vulnerable households in informal settlements with food support

2 July 2020, Suva, Fiji – On 2 July 2020, UN-Habitat handed over the last of a total of 229 food packages to the Ministry of Housing and Community Development in support of the Veilomani Food bank.

UN-Habitat reaches over 200 vulnerable households in informal settlements with food support

UN-Habitat handing over food supply for over 200 households to Permanent Secretary Mr. Sanjeeva Perera
© Ministry of Housing and Community Development (MHCD), Republic of Fiji

The Government of Fiji declared the country COVID-19 free on 5 June 2020 with all reported cases fully recovered. However, with Fiji’s borders remaining closed for the foreseeable future the country is faced with managing the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19. The loss of international visitors as well lockdowns and movement restrictions have resulted in job losses and reduced hours for many formal and informal workers. In June 2020, UN-Habitat carried out a rapid assessment of the impact of COVID-19 in 16 informal settlements. A major outcome of this assessment is how the magnitude of income loss has affected households’ food security. Families described having to skip meals or reduce portions because they were worried about running out of food before being able to afford more. Inga Korte, The UN-Habitat Team Leader for Urban Climate Resilience, says: ‘We find that incomes have drastically decreased of the past 2 months, with many households now surviving on less than USD95 (200 FJD) a month. Especially in urban informal settlements people are struggling to meet their food demands as they have limited access to land for farming.’

To address these urgent food security needs, UN-Habitat has been supporting the Veilomani Food Bank, an initiative from the Ministry of Housing and Community Development. Households can apply for food support and are vetted to ensure the food packs reach people that are most in need. The vetting process seeks to identify families who have lost all sources of income due to COVID-19, along with those who have existing vulnerabilities, such as family members with disabilities or existing medical conditions. ‘Over the past month we have received over 3,000 applications’ says Danish Ram, Clerical Officer at the Ministry of Housing and Community Development. ‘We were overwhelmed by the huge demand and had to temporarily stop taking new applications.’

UN-Habitat reaches over 200 vulnerable households in informal settlements with food support

Households receiving food support from the Veilomani Food Bank
© Ministry of Housing and Community Development (MHCD), Republic of Fiji

The support packs include basic food and hygiene supplies that can last a family of 4 for 2 weeks. The Veilomani Food Bank has so far supported around 300 families from the Central division of Fiji, and most of the 229 UN-Habitat packages will be supporting families in the West. While the Government of Fiji is pushing for a ‘Bula bubble*’ with New Zealand and Australia, there are no assurances that this will happen. Therefore, initiatives such as the Veilomani Food Bank provide critical support to families who have little alternatives in this unstable time.

* ’Bula bubble’ is a term the Government of Fiji has coined to describe their plan to allow visitors from Australia and New Zealand into Fiji (with strict safety measures in place).


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