TAFE Queensland assists Fiji Red Cross for ongoing TC Winston relief efforts

TAFE Queensland have provided funds to the Fiji Red Cross Society (FRCS) to contribute towards the ongoing recovery efforts from the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone (TC) Winston in 2016.

TAFE Queensland, the managing contractor for the Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC), collected the funds through a special fund called ‘MyCause’ set up by staff to raise money to support Fiji citizens.

The cheque of FJ$4,570 was handed over today by APTC’s Executive Director, Ms Carol-Anne Blecich to the FRCS Director General, Mr Filipe Nainoca.

Speaking at the handover, Ms Blecich said that APTC was proud to hand over the funds on behalf of TAFE Queensland staff in Australia.

“TAFE Queensland is proud to play its part in rebuilding the lives of local communities that were affected by TC Winston. We hope that through this assistance, FRCS will be able to reach out to more people who are still in need of support,” she added.

APTC offers training to students from 14 Pacific countries and has campuses in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. APTC has been working closely to support local communities to rebuild after the TC Winston.

“In response to TC Winston, the Fiji Red Cross tried many innovative things we’ve never attempted before,” Mr Nainoca said. “Shelter, spring protection, psychological support, house to house visits. We’ve been able to achieve this through support from donors and the international Red Cross family.”

“We are grateful to organisations like TAFE Queensland who come forward to support the work of Fiji Red Cross in its recovery efforts,” he added.

Many Fijians continue to rebuild their livelihoods after TC Winston devastated the country last year on 20 February. The Category 5 Cyclone affected the livelihoods of approximately 540,000 Fijians with the value of the damage estimated to be F$1.99 billion.