Found me some friends!
I love the kids in the villages. They still play outside till its dark. They create fun out of the simplest things. A wheel nailed to a stick about a metre long is a common toy. The kids will run all over the place pushing it along.
I do feel for the mums coz contraception doesn't seem to be something that is an option and the families are often large.
I traveled around the other day with a friend who was looking out for cleft kids.
We came across the coolest bunch of kids in a village. The little girl sitting next to me grabbed my hand as I walked past her. She had so much spunk and the rest of the kids such fun and love. 7 kids to a very cool mama of 38. School holidays and they were all playing happily together. Their washing (done by hand) was placed on every tree and spare line outside. The love each child had for their siblings was beautiful. Even the one we came to visit with a cleft problem. Modern society is loosing so much as they 'drive forcefully into the modern age'.EndFragment
Remember my newspaper lady...well I got together with my mates Joel and Terri and we did a bit of a make over for them. They live in a poorer settlement here in Lautoka. A small shack that has no power and visiting them it almost felt depressing.
A solar light was purchased so the daughter could get her homework done when it got dark.
We donated a bed we had spare, another friend donated a kerosine cooker and some pots.
Joel replaced broken shutters and put in a front door. Terri and I made raised gardens and fill them with vegies. I even ventured up onto the roof with a silicon gun and used a couple tubes to fill in the holes. We purchased a tin of under coat/sealer and said this must go on the new woodwork otherwise it will rot.
The other day I stopped by and what a lovely transformation. The gardens were producing and the whole house painted. Dad had got himself of his bed, found a few days work and used the money to buy paint and set to work transforming their home. It went from a dark dingy sad place to a friendly happy one just because a few people chose to care.
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On the same note with this family. I felt it was important to enable the daughter (Rarni) to help bring money into the house. Mums dismal wage of $50 a week didn't go very far and dad (yes we found there was a dad) had become depressed and could hardly get up in the mornings. A call out on FB for beads and I ordered some earring making bits and online.
Lovely Amber from NZ bought over some of my online purchases in a Pack for Purpose call out (and some Vogels bread! ;-) ) Rob had a quick trip back to NZ and bought back the stash of beads (he was relieved it wasn't a stash of bra's like last time!!)
We then organised an ear-ring making session with a couple of talented teenagers and already our girl is earning more money than mum per week.
A great stash of supplies from all over NZ. A very successful training session.
My little Angel Rimsha is growing and going from strength to strength. I took a friend who in her past life was a physio to visit her and help advise mum on good ways to stimulate her.
I was so impressed with the alert cheeky little bundle of joy we saw. She heads back to India in August we are so encouraged as people from across the globe rally round to show their love and support for her.
If you wish to help our Angel fly please email me lisa@lhr.co.nz as we are still short of our target.
Recently I did a quick 'touch base' trip to Vanuatu. Our man on the ground Ricki and his beautiful lady Diana have a fantastic passion for their people. Their vision is to walk journeys with local communities and guide them into sustainable living. Good homes, clean water and proper schooling.
I bought over some water filters and with the financial support of Jess a fellow Vanuatu lover and past volunteer we were able to purchase the necessary buckets to go with them. Jess also financed school stationary for the school on Moso Island and material to help another remote community.
I took Joel and Terri with me to see if I could inspire them to grab the vision of helping in Vanuatu. It didn't take much for them to fall in love with this tiny island nation and now I think they might be sharing their time between Fiji and Vanuatu.
Terri and I went off to purchase school supplies while Joel was able put up a solar system and a small water tank to assist a family.
Joel has happily taken on the Project Management of dear Aima's house build and we are hoping to get this project off the ground next year.
We will be needing to fund raise $30,000 NZ so if anyone has any wonderful ideas on how we can do this please don't hesitate to contact me. lisa@lhr.co.nz
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Since being here I have been amazed at how I have been able to network with other people and find great help for those who need it.
My friend young Sonika who is up for some pretty big surgeries ahead in her life has been given an opportunity to be assessed by an American reconstructive surgery team. (www.loloma.org)This is through Terri who is their volunteer assessor here in Fiji. Loloma has been coming every year for 12 years and does incredible medical work from eyes, to teeth to reconstructive surgery.
Unlike me Terri is not afraid of a sewing machine and was able to offer some great technical advice on a recent visit to see Sonika.
As usual Ted plays a huge part in many of my visits and has great friends all over the country. Next week Sonika meets with the surgeons.
As a person of faith I will often be heard saying to those I meet that things are never a coincidence in my life. I believe in Godcidence.
The other day Terri told me she had met a mum who had a cleft child who had slipped through the system and she was malnourished due to her not feeding well.
I spoke with another friend who was able to source a cleft feeding bottle. We visited mum and she was so thankful to the bottle. That afternoon she rung Terri all excited because her little girl had drunk her first bottle of milk ever.
We dropped around a tin of formula (which is not cheap here) to give the child some real nourishment. At $43 a tin we were not sure if she would be able to afford to purchase any tins.
Later that week we found out about cleft surgeries happening in Lautoka in July. If we could get our little girl up to proper weight she could get the surgery and start to eat solids (she is 15 months) with no more need for formula.
Yesterday I had a strong need to visit the mum and give her two more tins purchased with money gifted to LHR. Oh my gosh Lisa she said grinning from ear to ear. This morning I used the last of my tin and I prayed to God that he would help me find enough money to buy another. She then went on to tell me how despondent and depressed she had become due to her childs ill health and lack of support. Then Terri came along and has been the catalyst of positive things for her family.
We have worked out she needs another 8 tins to get her little one up to weight for July. We are seeking sponsorship for this if anyone wants to help. 8 tins at $43Fj = $344Fj or $30NZ = $233NZ.
A worried mum and
sick little girl.
After one tin of formula we see a different child. Full of energy and bright eyes.
While I get to swan around the place interacting with locals and being blessed with being able to help people. My dear husband goes to the coal face to bring home the bacon. He is involved in an E.U funded project to plant trees on old sugar cane country to try and slow down the bad erosion that is happening here.
Working and living here is never as glamorous as holidaying here and his task has been far from easy. We are blessed to live in an amazing house in a great neighborhood and we have made some life long friends.
As it stands the project is under review and our future in Fiji is uncertain. We could possibly be back in NZ mid winter (brrr!!).
Watch this space....
Ted continues to be world famous in Lautoka loved by all who see him (well almost!)
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