Fiji: Promoting Health and Hygiene in Fijian Villages

Introduction

The general health of average Fijians is quite good and robust as most of the youth are interested in sports and they begin their training at an early age. However, as they get older, especially women, tend to get obese after the birth of their children. Since most of the local populations live in the villages, they have little or no knowledge of hygiene and diet. This leads to a wide range of diseases like high blood sugar, cholesterol, hypertension etc. The other common diseases in the villages are skin eruptions/lesions, urinary infections, gum and heart diseases.

Our healthcare education initiative is in its infancy and requires the skills of both established medical and healthcare professionals and those who are interested in teaching basic first-aid and personal hygiene. This need for having project participants on either end of the medical spectrum arises due to the great extremes in hygiene and health practices. Apart from needing qualified professionals in order to conduct health camps and dental checkups, we also need participants who can educate people in the areas of basic first-aid and personal hygiene such as washing hands, brushing teeth and general cleanliness. This works towards the prevention of many avoidable health problems and easily communicable diseases.

If you are interested in educating simple hygiene techniques, you are welcome to join the Healthcare Education project. Medical professionals who can offer guidance on the project’s development would be immensely valuable; however, it is not imperative that participants have a medical background to join. As a participant of this project, you can support to run healthcare campaigns in local schools/villages around Sigatoka, actively teach the importance of basic hygiene – emphasize brushing teeth correctly, washing hands and general body cleanliness. Many of the daily routines that we carry out without thinking are not common practices with the children you will meet, but starting simple education early can go a long way for immediate and future healthcare. If you have a medical background, check-up clinics for local children and adults can be organized with your help.

Daily Life

During the first half of the day in the morning, a local doctor will meet you and explain to you all the various medical aspects as well as the medical needs of the local community. Later you will then be taken to the local government schools and take part in the awareness campaign, health and hygiene teaching to the children of various ages, first aid teaching and many more health and medical-related program will be conducted for the children every day.

Once a month, in alliance with the local team of doctors, a general health check-up camp will be organized by us for the benefit of villagers. Free medicines and treatment will be made available to all.

Travel & Accom.

Participants in the project stay in the house centre in dorm-style accommodation with rooms shared by 4-6 people. Each room has a private bathroom with hot water and all rooms have wall fans to keep you cool. All participants are expected to be environmentally responsible and use all resources mindfully especially water, paper and electricity as well as contribute to keeping the accommodation clean, neat and tidy. There is wi-fi; however, the quality and speed may not be at a very high level and the connection may be slower and irregular occasionally.

There are three meals served on weekdays and two meals per day on weekends. The breakfast is western style and the dinners are typical Fijian dishes.

Within 5-10 minutes from the centre you can find ATMs, as well as a local supermarket and a local shop where you can buy a SIM card.

There are many ATMs 5-10 minutes away from the Suva House centre. The local supermarket is 5 minutes away and you can buy a personal SIM card at the local shop. There are several health and medical centres within a 20 minutes car ride radius from the centre.

Requirements

• Minimum age 18.
• Genuine interest in medicine and public health, however a medical background is not necessary for volunteer positions. Experienced medical professionals are warmly welcomed to share their skills and knowledge.
• Intermediate English language skills.
• Minimum 2 weeks commitment
• CRB Police check (or equivalent) showing that you have no previous criminal convictions
• Necessary vaccinations, flight & visas.
• Full travel & medical insurance – full assistance provided in arranging everything you will need if you choose our Premium Support

Costs

€500 Euros per week

* Check the latest currency conversions with xe.com
** All payments incur a 5% bank transfer fee
*** Placements are confirmed with a 1 week deposit, minimum 2 weeks booking

What’s Included:

Project Fee includes food, accommodation, airport pickup, orientation, in-country support and project activities.

Private rooms are available for an additional €100 per week.

What’s not included:

Flights, insurance, visas (if applicable) and vaccinations. Full assistance will be provided in getting all these arranged if you choose our Premium Support.

Premium Support Upgrade

We understand there’s a great deal to plan and organise for your trip. When booking a Placement, many of our participants choose to purchase our Premium Support Upgrade to benefit from the expertise, knowledge and experience of our Project Coordinators.

We can provide the personal advice you need to ensure your trip is organised with excellence and planned with efficiency; ensuring the very best experience possible. Read more about how we can help you.