FRIEND was awarded funding from the European Union through the Ministry of Finance’s Fiji Education Sector Programme. The award was officially handed over to FRIEND’s director, Sashi Kiran during a ceremony attended by eighteen other EU award recipients at the Holiday Inn in Suva. For FRIEND the award was a timely assistance for one of its youth development programme, FACE. The FRIEND Art and Cultural Enterprises (FACE) project was created from an idea that grew out of concern for the underserved youths in Lautoka. FRIEND program officer Kiniviliame saw and felt the need for Lautoka street boys to be gainfully occupied in a program that will enable them to focus on an alternative life off the streets.
