The Toko Dhartiya school near Fiji's Vatukoula gold mine has welcomed a new project supporting poor school children.
Many former Vatukuola gold mine workers are still without jobs and are struggling to meet the needs of their families.
Save the Children in Fiji intends supporting 1300 school children in Vatukoula with lunches and money for bus tickets through a five week programme.
The first assistant head teacher, Darsham Prasad, says out of 580 children at the school, about 150 live in extreme poverty.
"They come two days a week or three days a week and the rest of the week they stay at home. When they are at home, we don't know what they are eating. The bus fare, they haven't got it, that's why they can't come to school. And if they come over here we ask them if they have got food, they say no. They are poor performers in our classes. They are hungry - a hungry child cannot perform well."
The head teacher says the ministry of education has helped with these children's schools fees.
She says they must find a long term solution for these families.
