A year on from the death of Leicester Tigers favourite Seru Rabeni, work continues in his name to provide education and a rugby pathway for people in his local community in Fiji.
Former international centre Rabeni died on March 15, 2016 and tributes were paid across the rugby community, including an auction and collection organised by Tigers supporters to raise funds in support of his family.
Also, to honour his memory, a website www.serurabeni.com and the Seru Rabeni Fund was established to continue fundraising efforts started by Seru during his playing career with a goal of helping his local community in Fiji and provide opportunities for young players in rugby and education.
A new press release from the Seru Rabeni Fund provides an update:
Wednesday, March 15, 2017 marks the one-year anniversary since the passing of the Fijian rugby legend Seru Rabeni. To honour his memory, a website www.serurabeni.com and the Seru Rabeni Fund has been set up to continue fundraising efforts started by Seru himself.
The fund was set up by one of Hong Kong’s most prominent clubs, the DB Pirates, where Seru served as player and head coach. His partner, Susan Macdonald, has continued to work with the Ministry of Education in Fiji to build a kindergarten in Seru’s home village of Nasolo on the island of Vanua Levu.
The nearest kindergarten to where Seru grew up was more than an hour’s walk away. The Seru Rabeni Memorial Kindergarten will be completed this year.
Seru is an example of how sport can change your life, having dedicated himself to rugby at school and swiftly making the transition to representing Fiji. However whilst rugby changed his life, he felt the only way to make a real change to his home village was through education: “The sport saved my life and I was able to play it to the highest level in Fiji, earning a lifetime opportunity to go and further my studies in Otago, New Zealand. Even though I found some great rewards from playing rugby, it won't change my village as much.”
In 2015, Seru and Susan started fundraising initiatives in Hong Kong where they lived with their daughter, Ayami, to raise funds to build a dedicated kindergarten in his home village. Seru gained support from the Ministry of Education. Unfortunately, it could not be completed in his lifetime but Susan has continued the project with the backing of Minister for Education, Dr Mahendra Reddy.
Deacon Manu, a former Fiji captain, has followed in Seru’s footsteps as head of rugby at DB Pirates. He shares Seru’s vision with a mission to building an education and rugby pathway offering Fijian youth opportunities in Hong Kong and further afield in order to change their lives.
“The Rugby Academy Asia Educational Programme introduces the Flying Fijians programme with the key objective of changing the lives of young Fijians and their families through rugby. The programme will see a collaboration between RRA and the Seru Rabeni Fund to give opportunities for young Fijians to experience life in Hong Kong. The partnership will improve the selected Fijian players’ skills to enhance their rugby careers towards achieving elite international standards”.
To find out more, see the website at www.serurabeni.com
Former international centre Rabeni died on March 15, 2016 and tributes were paid across the rugby community, including an auction and collection organised by Tigers supporters to raise funds in support of his family.
Also, to honour his memory, a website www.serurabeni.com and the Seru Rabeni Fund was established to continue fundraising efforts started by Seru during his playing career with a goal of helping his local community in Fiji and provide opportunities for young players in rugby and education.
A new press release from the Seru Rabeni Fund provides an update:
Wednesday, March 15, 2017 marks the one-year anniversary since the passing of the Fijian rugby legend Seru Rabeni. To honour his memory, a website www.serurabeni.com and the Seru Rabeni Fund has been set up to continue fundraising efforts started by Seru himself.
The fund was set up by one of Hong Kong’s most prominent clubs, the DB Pirates, where Seru served as player and head coach. His partner, Susan Macdonald, has continued to work with the Ministry of Education in Fiji to build a kindergarten in Seru’s home village of Nasolo on the island of Vanua Levu.
The nearest kindergarten to where Seru grew up was more than an hour’s walk away. The Seru Rabeni Memorial Kindergarten will be completed this year.
Seru is an example of how sport can change your life, having dedicated himself to rugby at school and swiftly making the transition to representing Fiji. However whilst rugby changed his life, he felt the only way to make a real change to his home village was through education: “The sport saved my life and I was able to play it to the highest level in Fiji, earning a lifetime opportunity to go and further my studies in Otago, New Zealand. Even though I found some great rewards from playing rugby, it won't change my village as much.”
In 2015, Seru and Susan started fundraising initiatives in Hong Kong where they lived with their daughter, Ayami, to raise funds to build a dedicated kindergarten in his home village. Seru gained support from the Ministry of Education. Unfortunately, it could not be completed in his lifetime but Susan has continued the project with the backing of Minister for Education, Dr Mahendra Reddy.
Deacon Manu, a former Fiji captain, has followed in Seru’s footsteps as head of rugby at DB Pirates. He shares Seru’s vision with a mission to building an education and rugby pathway offering Fijian youth opportunities in Hong Kong and further afield in order to change their lives.
“The Rugby Academy Asia Educational Programme introduces the Flying Fijians programme with the key objective of changing the lives of young Fijians and their families through rugby. The programme will see a collaboration between RRA and the Seru Rabeni Fund to give opportunities for young Fijians to experience life in Hong Kong. The partnership will improve the selected Fijian players’ skills to enhance their rugby careers towards achieving elite international standards”.
To find out more, see the website at www.serurabeni.com
