Two local youths from Matuku Island successfully conduct their 1st solo organic training workshops in organic virgin coconut oil for over 60 island residents!
Suva, Fiji: Between Tuesday the 9th and Friday the 12th of January 2018, two island youths who have been training with Loving Islands since August 2017, successfully conducted three training workshops on organic virgin coconut oil production and its byproducts for over 60 local residents on Matuku island.
Our greatest thanks to the United Nations Development Programme’s Small Grants Programme in Suva for the provision of funding that has made this possible!
The Workshops
Three one-day workshops were conducted between Tuesday the 9th and Friday the 12th of January 2018 focussing on A-grade production of organic virgin coconut oil (VCO) and the by-products of naturally made organic soap and activated charcoal. Workshops were programmed by Loving Islands and delivered independently by two experienced youths from the island (read more in the next section)!
Over 60 participants attended the workshops held in the villages of Qalikarua, Lomati and Natokolau, with the objective of improving the quality of their organic virgin coconut oil to fetch a higher market price and learn new skills to create other organic products. Trainings ran from 10am till 4pm with lunch and afternoon provided thanks to the organic committees of each village. All participants responded with positive feedback on the training with a number of new farmers requesting application forms to register lands under organic land management.
For more photos from the trainings please head to our Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/lovingislandsAU/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2064462420497970
The Trainers
Workshops were run by two local Matuku island youths, Kolinio Soko (Koli) from Levukaidaku village and Lincoln St John (Liqani) from Qalikarua village, both of whom were sponsored in 2017 by Loving Islands to undergo training in organic virgin coconut oil production on Cicia island with one of Fiji’s most experienced practitioners, Susana Yalikanacea who runs the organic business Organic Selavo. In addition to this, Koli has spent the last three months working with Loving Islands to deliver youth empowerment training in sustainable agriculture for eighty youths in Norther Fiji (Nabouwalu, Seaqaqa, Tukavesi & Taveuni), an internal Project of the United Nations Development Programme in Fiji. As a result, Koli was able to successfully lead participants through the organic VCO workshops with the assistance of Liqani, who is also working towards becoming a lead mobile skills trainer for organic VCO production.
Why it’s important
These workshops mark a significant milestone in the Matuku Island Organic Farming Project which commenced in August 2016 through a small grant from the United States Regional Environment Office in Suva. The ability for local island youths to successfully deliver community workshops for sustainable economic development shows a clear pathway for how development can be delivered across other islands in Fiji’s Eastern province. Loving Islands is continuing to support the education and development of remote island youths to continue to improve the local capacity for self-led development within the region.
How to book organic workshops for your Island
Are you interested in organising these workshops for your island? Please contact us by email (contact@lovingislands.com) or on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/lovingislandsAU) with the following details and we will get back to you!
- Tell us who you are (Your name, your role in the community & your contact details)
- Tell us where and when you would like the trainings held (Location & preferred dates)
- Tell us more about the training participants (How many would there be, their ages & gender, and the average level of education ~ did most people finish primary school? did most people finish high school?)
- What would you like to achieve from the training? (For example, new income, new skills, understanding the organic way of life!)
Contact Us
Please email us for any enquiries at contact@lovingislands.com or send us a message on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lovingislandsAU