INSPIRING ISLANDER - IKITAGA MALO
“Knowledge is Power”
A women’s passion to change the lives of Fijian children through education
“I believe that no child regardless of age, gender or social background should be deprived of their basic human rights, I believe in making a difference in life to help educate, trust and eliminate poverty”.
Ikitaga Malo’s passion for the charity began when she was a little girl. A video of the late Princess of Wales Diana holding a helpless child sparked a fire in her to help children. She made it her mission to be the voice and make a difference for the children of Fiji.
A 30 year old from Matuku, Lau in Fiji and co-founder of EduFiji Kidz, Ikitaga is the second youngest of seven children and comes from a humble family. Both her parents are highly educated and hardworking citizens who instilled in their children the exact same values that saw them become successful in their respective fields in Fiji.
“My parents taught me, it is important to be of service to your people and country you are born in. I’m thankful that my parents made me understand the value of life and culture”.
These teachings allowed her to build a strong foundation for her own family and more importantly, herself.
She started off as a volunteer educator in Fiji, and had seen first-hand the education system from beginning to end. In Fiji, children are a precious gift from God and Ikitaga felt it was her duty as a Fijian citizen regardless of where she goes or may be in the world, to give back by paving the way to building a solid foundation for any child’s future through proper education.
She is no stranger to kids having had two beautiful boys at a young age.
Yes it is taboo in the Fijian culture to be a young teenage mum, however, that did not stop her from pursuing a career in early childhood education. Her boys are her pride and joy along with her supportive and loving husband.
She migrated to New Zealand in 2009 and studied Early Childhood Education and graduated with a Certificate which provided her with a sound understanding of the running’s of an early childhood centre.
All through her studies, the volunteer stint in Fiji that ignited her passion to help the children back home ran deep in her blood and she never once lost sight of her end goal .
“It is critical that a child is given the right learning tools to help develop them as confident and competent learners”.
This led her to setup a charitable trust – EduFiji Kidz . An initiative started by like minded individuals wanting to acknowledge the importance of grassroots education.
EduFiji Kidz provide professional development for Early Childhood Educators in Fiji to help inspire children to want to learn and give them wings to fly. The Trust was set up with the help of co-founder Highlanders Super 15’s player Patrick Osborne who shares the Trusts vision. Another big influence with the trust is Director Mrs. Angii Leevers, whose determination and shared passion for children and early childhood educators became the reason to have her lead the Workshop Team and be an integral part of EduFiji Kidz.
EduFiji Kidz held their first workshop in Fiji in 2016 with a successful response from local teachers. A team travelled from New Zealand to Mokoni village with one goal, to empower and enrich lives of teachers for a better change, a better Fiji and most of all a new generation.
The participants were teachers from 10 kindergartens in the Nausori area and were held at the school hall in Mokoni village. The workshop involved spending time with the teachers on the floor, seeing first hand interactions between teachers and students, providing teaching strategies and sharing knowledge on child development. The eagerness that the teachers showed to inspire the children was an overwhelming feeling to witness.
To show the their appreciation and utmost gratitude, the teachers said vinaka vaka levu (Thank you) the best way we as Islanders know how to - by performing a traditional ceremony to close the 3- day the workshops.
With the Trust being only 2 since its inception it still has its hardships. We continue to explore options for funding future workshops as most of the funding to date has come out of our own pockets. The Trust is an extra activity aside from our paid work, so most of their free time is absorbed by the Trust.
Albeit exhausting at times, the members of the trust persevere forward and the end product is rewarding. Ikitaga’s parent’s advice “determination and hard work will get you through” echoes through her head whenever she feels the wait of the world on her shoulders.
Three quirky things about EduFiji Kidz co-founder Ikitaga Malo
* I would sell lollies in boarding school for the sake of breaking the rules and would give the money to my desk mate for her school holidays
* I am an adrenaline junkie, I love anything to do with outdoors, i.e.: sky diving and pushing myself to the limit.
* I love being different and off the charts a bit, I know and believe I sound like Beyoncé and Whitney put together but no one will tell me otherwise.