Getting Started

Our volunteers have been here for almost an entire week. On Monday, all of our volunteers who are interested in health went to the Tavua Hospital (one of the smallest on Viti Levu). Dr. Dasi, the young ambitious Indian woman who is the newly appointed head administrator of the hospital, met us and spoke excitedly about her plans to improve the hospital and how our volunteers could help. She wants our volunteers to plan 6 public health events this summer as well as visit schools in the interior of the island. We also talked with her about building a Square-Foot Garden at the hospital that could supplement the cost of patient food, and act as a model garden. She was very excited about this idea and our Project Lead, Nate, got the work started that very morning.

We were taken to a dense piece of jungle just below the main grounds of the hospital. We got machetes and gloves and began pulling the gigantic weeds out of the ground. The bush was taller the 6 feet in some places and we set a goal of clearing a 10 feet radius that day. Soon people passing by the hospital started to gather to watch the silly Americans try to cut the bush. Some joined in, teaching us more effective ways of clearing. Our group got really into it and the cleared space grew faster than we expected. In the afternoon the hospital staff joined us and we cleared a space of 150ft X 50ft space. Several huge mounds of hospital trash and dried brush accumulated along the sides of the clearing. Curiously, the Health Inspector and the Head Physician lit the rubbish stacks on fire to burn them down. When I asked them about the wisdom of burning the medical waste, the Health Inspector dismissed the thought and began ranting about pollution in America and how no one there could see the sky.

I took volunteers back to Rukuruku and Nabuna villages this week. In Nabuna we met with the women and discussed the stove we will build there next week. When the meeting was over we stayed there, played rugby and danced with the kids. The women gathered around, laughing hysterically at our dancing and pushing their children forward to show Fijian action songs. Then, the men invited us over for kava and we sat with them under a huge shade tree.

Later in the week we met with the men, women, and youth in Rukuruku. I am not sure if it was because the meeting wasn’t ceremonial, or if it was because David wasn’t accompanying me, but I did not feel the pressure to remain silent as I had in the introduction. In fact, I was ushered to the front of the mat and encouraged to address the entire group.