An initiative that began with a simple act of sharing food under a bridge is now transforming the lives of some of Suva’s most vulnerable children.

Since its establishment in 2023, Seek to Save Ministry has taken in around 20 children from the streets, most of them struggling with drug addiction, offering them shelter, stability and a second chance.

Youth representative Elia Berabi said the ministry’s approach goes beyond awareness campaigns.

“We will need a lot of realistic approach,” he said. “We can do awareness programs, but one of the best ways to tackle this is to connect with them, sit with them.”

He was speaking at the National Talanoa Session on Responding to Illicit Drugs held earlier this week in Lami.

Berabi recalls the moment that sparked the mission. He and his team found children sleeping near the Suva Fish Market, under a bridge, lying back-to-back without shirts to keep warm.

“Their first reaction was maybe we were Police officers,” he said. “I told them no, we brought food for you. Maybe we can sit and have a talk.”

That conversation led Berabi to take nearly half of the group into his care in Colo-i-Suva, despite not being financially stable at the time.

Many of the children, he said, come from broken homes. One boy told him he was kicked out by his stepfather simply for asking for food.

“At home, when I said I wanted to eat at least a loaf of bread, my stepfather would kick me out,” the child shared. “On the streets, almost 12 of us can share one loaf of bread.”

Berabi believes the root cause pushing children onto the streets is a lack of love and belonging.

“I would say the core factor is love,” he said. “On the streets is where they are exposed to drugs.”

Determined to create sustainability and opportunity, the ministry launched an agriculture project. Starting with five hectares of land and 15,000 taro crops, the initiative has expanded to 30 hectares in Colo-i-Suva, with 35,000 dalo planted and markets secured.

“Our younger generations need opportunities,” Berabi said. “When we hand them opportunities, you will see the potential they have.”

Senior Pastor Manasa Kolivuso of the Christian Mission Fellowship International said the responsibility to care for vulnerable children cannot be ignored.

“If the Church pushes him away, who else will look after him?” he asked.

“If the vanua doesn’t want him, if the village doesn’t want him, if the family doesn’t want him, and if the church pushes him away, who else will look after him?”