Over 700 Children of Collection Pillars of Recycling Receive Gifts as PRF Delivers Fourth Annual Christmas Gift & Stationery Drive Across Fiji

More than 700 children from families of Fiji’s Collection Pillars of Recycling (CPR) experienced the joy and dignity of the festive season this Christmas, as Pacific Recycling Foundation successfully delivered its fourth annual Christmas Gift and Stationery Drive, one of the country’s longest-running grassroots social protection initiatives for informal recycling communities.

The handover events took place in Vunato, Lautoka, Maururu in Ba, Sigatoka, parts of Lautoka, Rakiraki, and Labasa, ensuring children of informal recyclers across multiple locations were supported during a season that is often overshadowed by daily survival struggles.

PRF Founder Amitesh Deo said the initiative goes far beyond the distribution of presents.

“This Christmas Gift and Stationery Drive is about dignity, recognition, and inclusion,” Deo said.

“The CPR play a critical role in Fiji’s waste management system, yet many of their families face daily hardships that often go unseen. This drive exists to ensure their children are not forgotten during the season of giving.”

Now in its fourth year, PRF’s Christmas Gift and Stationery Drive has become a key social protection initiative for CPR families. CPR collect recyclables from dumpsites and public spaces under difficult and often unsafe conditions, contributing significantly to environmental sustainability while receiving limited recognition or formal support.

“By diverting recyclables away from dumpsites and public spaces, CPR are extending the lifespan of our dumpsites, reducing emissions linked to waste disposal, and transforming discarded materials into livelihoods. They are environmental stewards, economic contributors, and community builders, and their children deserve to feel proud of the work their parents do,” Deo said.

He said despite their invaluable contributions, many CPR families celebrate Christmas without even the simplest festive treats, or gifts for their children. For them, the season of giving is mostly overshadowed by the daily struggle to survive.

The handover event at Vunato, Lautoka was officiated by the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Lenora Qereqeretabua and the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Sivendra Michael alongside Lautoka City Council’s Special Administrators Chair, Taitusi Rasoki. The handover event at Maururu, Ba was officiated by the Acting CEO of Ba Town Council, Manjula Devi.

Deo emphasised that this year’s drive was a truly collective effort.

This year’s drive was made possible through strong partnerships with Tanoa Hotel Group, FMF Foods Limited, Hot Bread Kitchen, Nestlé Fiji Limited, Punja & Sons Limited, Ba Town Council, Lautoka City Council, Labasa Town Council, Communications Fiji Limited, Media Metro, Pacific Energy, and Waste Recyclers Fiji Limited, alongside the generous contributions of close to 30 organisations and individuals who collected and donated gifts and stationery through the drive.

“From corporate partners and municipalities to organisations and individuals who quietly collected toys and stationery – every contribution mattered. This was a shared act of solidarity with some of the most marginalised yet essential workers in our recycling ecosystem,” Deo said.

PRF also used the occasion to remind both the children receiving gifts and the wider public that the work carried out by CPR delivers environmental, economic, and social benefits for Fiji as a whole.