By Sosiveta Korobiau, Fiji Sun – 18 March 2025

The Ono Found­a­tion, a char­it­able organ­isa­tion with roots in the United States and Fiji, con­tin­ues to sup­port edu­ca­tional devel­op­ment and com­munity needs in Kadavu.

Foun­ded in 2018 by Fiji­ans from Kadavu liv­ing in the U.S., the found­a­tion has become a key resource for remote com­munit­ies.

Ini­tially focused on provid­ing edu­ca­tional sup­plies, it has since expan­ded its efforts to include emer­gency relief, infra­struc­ture improve­ments, and com­munity devel­op­ment.

Project coordin­ator Lepani Vunitur­aga, who over­sees the found­a­tion’s work in Fiji, spoke about the chal­lenges the found­a­tion has faced since 2018.

“While the found­a­tion has always been com­mit­ted to assist­ing schools with edu­ca­tional sup­plies, we’ve seen other press­ing needs emerge. In par­tic­u­lar, we’ve been focused on improv­ing the over­all learn­ing envir­on­ment for stu­dents in Kadavu,” Mr Vunitur­aga said.

Des­pite their ongo­ing efforts, the found­a­tion has encountered sev­eral obstacles when deliv­er­ing sup­port to local schools.

Mr Vuniturag said the primary chal­lenges include inad­equate classroom facil­it­ies, a lack of reli­able power sources, and issues with san­it­a­tion and hygiene.

“The need for oper­a­tional classrooms is one of the major con­cerns. Many schools are strug­gling with a short­age of power, and that’s where we’re work­ing on sup­ply­ing solar pan­els to help oper­ate com­puters and print­ers for the classrooms,” he said. Expand­ing reach, future plans

In response to these chal­lenges, the found­a­tion has expan­ded its out­reach.

It cur­rently sup­ports 15 primary schools. It plans to extend its reach to an addi­tional eight schools.

With a ded­ic­ated team of volun­teers, the found­a­tion is con­tinu­ing its mis­sion to deliver essen­tial edu­ca­tional sup­plies and improve school facil­it­ies.

With a dedicated team of volunteers, the foundation is continuing its mission to deliver essential educational supplies and improve school facilities.

“We’ve been focus­ing on improv­ing access to edu­ca­tion by provid­ing schools with the mater­i­als they need. But we are also think­ing long-term about bridging the digital divide,” Mr Vunitur­aga said.

“Our goal is to make sure that stu­dents in Kadavu are pre­pared for the digital world, whether they trans­ition to high school in Suva or fur­ther abroad. We’re look­ing into provid­ing com­puter labs and e-classrooms to help stu­dents develop digital lit­er­acy from a young age.”