22nd June 2021
The Honorable Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum
Attorney General and Minister for Economy, Civil Service and, Communication
Ministry of Economy
Suva.
Dear Honorable Minister,
The Alliance for Future Generations, a network of over 430 young leaders across Fiji herewith submits our budget requests for fiscal year 2021-2022. These requests reflect and outline the needs and priorities of young people, including solutions that addresses the challenges which have exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19.
While COVID-19 has affected people indiscriminately, the crisis has a disproportionate, interlinked, and intersecting effects on different communities including young people.
On access to work and livelihood: many young people have lost their jobs and are living in poverty, and this has become more acute during this COVID-19 pandemic. Those who work in informal sectors, often does not have access to superannuation fund benefits and unemployment compensation & coverage. Single parents are facing challenges between keeping their paid employment/ jobs and looking after their children.
On housing: many young working people who work in the hospitality, aviation and service sectors and industries, who have lost their jobs & earnings have been forced to vacate their rented homes, some with their newly established families. They are forced to move into informal settlements or move back to their families, often placing pressure and burden on limited resources, including that of food and other basic & essential items. For young people with disabilities, LGBTQI, formerly incarcerated youth and sex workers who already are on the peripheries, some have found themselves on the streets, in transient housing – often in poor conditions, lacking proper water and sanitation.
On education: with schools and universities operating virtually, many young people from rural, remote, maritime, and urban-poor communities are struggling to access education. This includes working students who having lost their jobs are focused on the day to day needs and as a result, have to drop out of school. Access to internet and technologies, such as laptops often limits the participation of students in the virtual classrooms.
On health: termed the “silent crisis”, mental illness is widespread and has indiscriminately affected young people, across Fiji. Youth friendly and accessible health services is a much-needed priority to ensure that our young people are provided the best mental health & psychosocial support during these challenging times.
We acknowledge and appreciate the support that the government and that of our neighboring countries (Australia & New Zealand) are doing, providing support to the citizens of Fiji to help them cope with the impact of COVID-19. This is obviously not enough, thus please kindly find below our budget propositions to the government of Fiji for the fiscal year 2021/2022 for your favorable consideration.
With these requests, we look forward to your continued support for young people. For correspondence regarding the full request, please contact Lavetanalagi Seru on alliance4futuregenerations@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Lavetanalagi Seru
Coordinator
On behalf of the Members of the Alliance for Future Generations
