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Grow Together: Organic gardens to feed, fund and train Fijian villages

  • Opening of the Navoci online learning centre

      3 October 2021

    40 garden beds, a piggery, a chicken hatchery, a re-sealed driveway and now the opening of an Online learning centre in the village hall of Navoci.

    #FijiGrowTogether has changed the life of the people of this village in a lasting and sustainable way, but we aren’t done yet.

    We will be turning our attention to the village of Vatutu in the coming weeks with 60 garden beds on order, taking the total number of gardens to 170 in 4 villages. In the meantime, we are doubling back on seedlings and garden workshops for the people of Navoci, Namototo and Navatulevu this week.

    If you would like to donate to a particular village or project of interest, we are on the ground and happy to implement and deliver on your wishes and generosity. Please reach out to us directly on this page.

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  • Navatulevu Village Chicken Project is now complete

      28 September 2021

    Today was a special day for the people of Navatulevu Village. (Five minutes from Denarau Island) After a call for funding assistance, you came thorough, most especially Marcus Bekker from Southern Broadcast with a $2,000 donation to make it happen.

    We turned a smelly old derelict piggery into a home that will breed birds and deliver eggs that will feed the people of Navatulevu Village.

    I have one condition when working with village Chiefs. We breed, we don’t bleed, it’s about sustainability and ongoing revenue. If it’s chickens, it’s about eggs, if its pigs, its about breeding for other villages and them ensuring they in turn breed sustainably. Fiji Grow Together covers the cost of growers feed.

    What was particularly satisfying about our latest project is that Fiji Grow Together simply provided the materials and an onsite foreman to ensure our plan was executed. Thus we saved money on the costs of our own builders, so that we can invest into our next projects.

    I am delighted to announce that our next village project is Vatutu Village. Home to three tribes and about three hundred homes. Each tribe will receive 20 x 2.400/400/250 boxed gardens complete with the best growing soil and seedlings to establish gardens within the village to feed the village.

    This brings the total number of gardens that #FijiGrowTogether has installed to about 170 in four villages. In addition to a major chicken hatchery for breeding with 26 laying hens and 20 roosters and also 4 pigs, 2 girls, 2 boys for breeding that will benefit other villages based in Navoci Village and of course todays completion of a chicken hatchery for Navatulevu Village that is home to 8 grown hens and 3 very impressive roosters.

    In addition to these projects, we will complete an alteration to the village hall of Navoci, with an education learning facility that will house 8 desktop computers that will allow more than 20 village students access to Online learning. This project was made possible by a very generous, direct donation from Mike and Maria Kerry from Atiamuri.

    If there is a particular project that you would like to fund, please message us via https://www.facebook.com/FijiGrowTogether we are on the ground, local and keen to support you in delivering projects that you believe will make a difference.

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  • A big day for #FijiGrowTogether at Navatulevu Village On Thursday following rain delays.

      12 September 2021

    Almost the entire village came out to lend a hand as we filled the garden boxes with premium soil and seedlings. We changed the way we set up this village, by installing all of the gardens in one area we are encouraging the village to come together, learn together, work together and of course grow together.

    If you are a regular visitor to Denarau resorts or the Port, this village is the second to last village down a long and potholed drive on the left, just five minutes from the island. As such they are VERY dependant on tourism, so you can only imagine the economic suffering that they are enduring. Fiji Grow Together is once again proud to assist our third village in the area.

    We have now installed and planted 100 x 2.4 / 800 wide / 250 deep treated wooden boxes including trellis, we built a towering piggery and the biggest chicken hatchery in Nadi for the purpose of breeding and sharing with other villages and we also backfilled and compacted the road into Navoci Village.

    Our next task is to install six computers into the community hall of Navoci, the funding for this was made possible by Mike and Maria of Atiamuri with a personal donation outside of Givealittle of $5000.

    Meanwhile back at Navatulevu, we have plans for a chicken hatchery, a piggery, funding a grader to make the road into the village safer and ultimately enclosing some of the mangroves to capture and breed crabs and prawns that can be sold roadside.

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  • 4 Little Pigs

      3 September 2021

    Four little pigs arrived today.. and no this is not the start of a nursery rhyme! They are cute, though not as cute as the chicks that are growing by the day. Thanks to Simon and the team at Vuda Piggeries who have been teaching farmer Todd the basics of how to care and feed four, two month olds, (two of them Gilt’s, girls) and another six month Gilt arriving tomorrow to complete the family.

    Meanwhile the chicks will be released into their bigger habitat next week.

    It’s time for us to finish off Namototo Village on Monday with sixteen additional garden boxes to add to the fourteen already completed and start at Navatulevu Village with 34 boxed gardens, soil, tools and seedling, Monday, Tuesday.

    Thanks for your continue interest and support of our efforts!

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  • Chicks 6 days old & new piggery

      1 September 2021

    The piggery is coming together. We can't wait to welcome the 3 female and 2 male pigs to their new home. As for the chicks, they are now 6 days old and eager to get into their new home. Everything is coming together in Navoci and it is all thanks to your continued support. We cannot thank you all enough! Please continue to share and donate. This deserving community is in absolute admiration!

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  • Chicks delivered and the road into Navoci fixed

      24 August 2021

    Some beautiful videos from today. As you can see the chicks have arrived, the road (which used to be covered with pot holes) has been made a lot safer for those coming in and out of the village and some more hard work from the boys to get the gardens coming together. The village couldn't be more appreciative and humbled by your support. Vinaka Vaka Levu from everyone here. Continue to share with friends and family so we can continue to make a difference in their lives.

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  • 50 garden boxes delivered to Navoci & Namototo

      24 August 2021

    Yesterday in 2 of the poorest villages closest to Denarau and Nadi - Navoci & Namototo village, we installed 50 boxes. Everyone from young and old had shovels in hands. They were not only delivered 50 garden beds but we filled them with premium soil from Flame Tree Nursery and each garden came with an 8L watering can and a 3 set gardening tool kit. Fiji Grow together is building another 50 garden bed boxes and have ordered more garden utensils and watering cans. The seedlings go into the villages today. As well as this, 2 big trucks will arrive this morning to fill in the pot holes in Navoci’s internal road and we hired a contractor for the day. 40 chicks arrive for the chicken hutch on Wednesday and we are in planning for a piggery for the Navoci village where we plan to breed pigs. Balewai (the star of the show) has been so excited about the chicks arriving he has been sleeping in the chicken hutt. There was much appreciation and true humility from the recipients, all thanks to everyone who has given a little on our page! If you have or even if you can’t donate please still share the page. Vinaka Vaka Levu from the Fiji Grow Together charity.

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  • Chicken House ready- just waiting on chicks

      21 August 2021

    It’s all go in the village today, look at the impact of your generosity to our Givealittle page. The babies arrive next week.

    Please follow our Fiji Grow Together Facebook page and visit Fijigrowtogether.co.nz

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  • Gardens finished now Chicken Hutch in action

      19 August 2021
    Main image

    We are no longer working with grow together- we have set up our own charity Fiji Grow together along with Flametree landscaping who are giving us amazing support and are just as passionate about the project as we are. Even some local retailers are supplying gardening tools at a great discount.

    Thank you all for your support. The people of Fiji thank you from the bottom of their hearts.

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  • We are expanding our project with chickens

      16 August 2021

    Hi all our wonderful supporters-

    Exciting News!

    We are expanding our project in Navoci Village. Today we start the build of a chicken coup- next week on the 25/8 we will be delivered 20 chicks to supply eggs and 20 roosters. These will be used for breeding and food. I will update with photos once completed. Thank you to all our supporters, without you this would not be possible.

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  • In memory of Pita Saubale Momolevu

      6 August 2021
    Main image

    Today was a special day. Our love & thanks goes out to Mike from Flame Tree Nursery who provided an amazing rock garden and Lemon tree in remembrance of our beautiful young village son who passed last week- 17 years old. He did not have covid-he went into quarantine healthy- he got sick- his parents took him to the Dr and the hospital twice- twice they were sent away. And then his young life ended. The heartache will never go for them but they will always know Pita is with them. His cousins, brothers, nieces, sisters, are tending to the gardens every day with so much passion and eager to help others around them. With their passion we know we can help as many as we can in a short time. We just need the support and we thank you all so much for that. Covid is spreading now is the western division, So we are working frantically to get as many gardens in as possible to help feed the villages. Please share this page with all your friends

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  • Huge Achievement today and Huge loss yesterday

      28 July 2021

    Today we plant to Grow Together, but sadly yesterday we lost our 17 yr old opted Fiji village son, Pita. (Not from Covid) This village has real heart but is broken. Our gift is self-sustainability for the future and support for the now. #GrowTogether #Givealittle

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  • Crisis is worsening but we wont give up

      17 July 2021

    Hey All

    We are very humbled by all the generous loving caring people in the world. Numbers are growing daily- most of the villages we are wanting to help are either self-isolation or quarantine. Garden boxes are being made, seeds are growing, supplies are taking longer due to lockdowns but we are very close to getting in and finishing our first village project. We just all need to be safe and get fully vaccinated. I will post photos of the first project as soon as we can, very excited, your support is massive to Fiji and life changing to many families. We cant thank you enough. Vinaka vaka Levu

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