Fiji Red Cross, 21 Youth Build 120-Metre ‘Living Seawall’ with 100 Mangroves on Tavua Coast TAVUA, Fiji – 13 July 2025 – At dawn on 12 July, the Fiji Red Cross Society (FRCS) Tavua Branch joined forces with HWPL Global 11, the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) and the One Nation Our People (ONOP) Youth Club to mount a climate- and health-action drive along Ralulu Street. A pilot team of just 21 youth volunteers planted 100 mangrove seedlings in three hours, creating a 120-metre “living seawall,” and removed 18 kg of rubbish from drains and the foreshore to eliminate dengue-mosquito breeding sites. Fiji faces one of the world’s fastest sea-level rises, averaging 7.95 mm a year at the Suva tide-gauge—nearly twice the global rate. Since 2000, tourism development and storm damage have already stripped 120 hectares of protective mangroves from Ba Province, accelerating coastal erosion and fish-stock decline. ONOP Youth Club Secretary John Rangan, who attended despite recovering from a leg injury, stressed that impact is not measured by head-count alone. “Deep down in my heart I know, small actions create huge impacts. My injuries won’t stop me from showing my dedication for the greater good of Fiji. Our youths matter, and I really hoped that my presence made an impact through empowering them. Perseverance is the change for our youths which solemnly is one of our objectives for ONOP.”, he said. Organisers estimate the 100 seedlings will lock away roughly one ton of carbon dioxide over 20 years and could slow shoreline retreat by up to 35 centimetres a year. Collecting 18 kilograms of waste ahead of the rainy season also lowers the immediate risk of dengue infection. The initiative forms part of HOPE in Fiji, an HWPL programme that blends peace education, humanitarian service and climate action to build resilience in low-lying communities. FRCS supplies public-health and disaster-preparedness expertise to ensure local residents can act before sea-level rise turns into crisis.