A whole new world opened for Year One students of Dama District School, Bua, Vanua Levu, yesterday.

Packaged milk and Weet-Bix for breakfast used to be the stuff of their dreams. Now Year One students around Vanua Levu will enjoy free milk and Weet-Bix for breakfast every school day of the week.

One mother, Torika Rabuka, mother of a Year One student, could hardly contain her excitement as Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama launched the initiative at Dama District School.

“This is a wonderful blessing for our children, “she said.

“We thank Mr Bainimarama and his Government for thinking of the children in giving them free milk and Weet-Bix,” Mrs Rabuka said.

Students lined up eagerly to wait for the bowls of Weet-Bix and milk to be handed to them by Mr Bainimarama.

The initiative has been a crucial part of the FijiFirst party’s manifesto, a promise kept when the initiative was first launched at Nakelo two weeks ago.

According to Mr Bainimarama, the children at Dama joined more than 20,000 Year One children across Fiji who were benefitting from this programme.

Under the programme each Year One student will receive a 250 millilitre package of free milk plus a serve of Weet-Bix for every day of the school week.

“We bring you a landmark initiative to improve the health of our children and give them the best possible start in life. By building their bodies in Year One so we can also help build their minds for their lifetime of learning throughout their years at school and beyond,” he said.

He encouraged them to eat healthy foods, keep fit so as to avoid the health problems suffered by many old Fijians who hadn’t looked after their health.

Students from nearby schools in the district of Dama were also part of the launch celebration yesterday, something that made the Prime Minister happy to see.

“It is always a great pleasure for me to come to the North, a part of Fiji I hold very dear in my heart and which my Government is doing everything we can to further develop.

“Whether it is access to better health services, better education, better roads, access to electricity, water or telecommunications, my Government is determined that all of you will eventually have the same level of services as anyone in Viti Levu,” he said.

The Prime Minister, speaking at the launch of the initiative at Dama, said that his Government would not rest until ordinary Fijians everywhere had the same benefits as any other Fijians living in urban areas.

A total of 54 Year One students were part of the inaugural group to receive their share of milk and Weet-Bix at Dama District School.

The Minister for Education, Mahendra Reddy, has confirmed that all primary schools in Vanua Levu have received their milk and Weet-Bix rations that would be distributed accordingly starting from this week.

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