Vika Vataniyaragi Tadu Varuru, a 25-year-old dietician from the Labasa Health Centre, is competing for the title of Miss Vodafone Festival of the Friendly North with the goal of promoting food security in Fiji for sustainable living. Sponsored by Northern Civil Service, she is one of nine contestants participating in the festival at Subrail Park in Labasa.
Originating from Nasinu Village, Navatu in Cakaudrove, Varuru has maternal ties to Yavea, Vanuabalavu, Lau. She expressed that although she regularly engages with schools and communities to raise awareness about health, addressing a larger audience on stage will be a new challenge for her.
Varuru aims to highlight the issues surrounding food security, noting that many people in Fiji, particularly in the northern region, face food insecurity. She identified several contributing factors, including financial constraints, resource unavailability, market price fluctuations, climate change impacts on agriculture, and a heavy reliance on imported food, which often leads people to prioritize quantity over quality.
To combat these challenges, Varuru advocates for sustainable agriculture practices, encouraging families to start backyard gardens and prioritize locally produced foods. In addition to her advocacy work, she has a twin sister and a younger brother, with her mother teaching at Wairiki Kindergarten in Labasa and her father employed by the Water Authority of Fiji.