The United States Embassy has awarded a grant of $100,000(USD) to a Fijian civil society organization, FJ Steam Princess to support its programs in promoting out-reach programs in Tonga and Fiji.

The grant was signed in a ceremony at the US Embassy in Fiji by FJ Steam Princess, Oliana Nayago and the U.S. Department of State’s Chief Information Officer, Dr. Kelly Fletcher. The program promotes Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM), targeting female high school students. The program is carried out in educational bootcamps for these girls.

Dr Fletcher said that these STEAM Camps encourage girls to pursue future studies and careersin STEAM.

“As the Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Department of State, and as a woman who holds both a Ph.D. and a bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering, I can speak personally to the importance of encouraging young women to pursue future studies and careers in STEAM fields,” said Fletcher.

The 2023 STEAM Camp builds on a 2020 pilot project which held a successful bootcamp for girls in Fiji.