MAKE a Difference Fiji reached out to around 10,000 people in Fiji last year which also included assisting 460 children to return to school with complete school stationery.
This was according to a statement released by the registered charitable organisation.
“MADF is not funded or sponsored by any financial organisation so we have always depended on our supportive donors,” said director and founder Renu Snowsill.
“We have had some really amazing souls that came forward and donated to our public appeals, whether it was to support families with groceries, sending patients to India for medical treatment, assisting kids with their school books or building homes and sanitation.
“We were able to complete two homes last year; one was for Vikashni and her four kids and another for Piniana and her two-year-old son.”
She said they would fundraise through barbecues, market days, car wash, to name a few, to raise funds for their outreach. “We have an amazing team spread across the country including Suva, Nadi, Lautoka, and Labasa and this has enabled us to react locally to those desperately need.
“We are also registered with NDMO and are trying our best to reach to families that have been badly affected by TC Yasa and TC Ana. “We are also assisting a few patients who need medical treatment in India that’s not available in Fiji.
“Recently the flights are now scheduled for India once a month and we are in a better position to guide them and get them to India,” she said.
MADF supports these people with fundraising if needed, and provides guidance for them to India during their treatment and bring them back home.
“We have also adopted a few families that we are now assisting them on a monthly basis.
“We have also adopted a few children by providing support for their lunch and stationery.
“MADF also runs a day care that takes in children from the ages of one year, six month to five years old.
“Our aim is to teach them to be independent and groom them for kindergarten.”
The year 2020 was a challenging year for the organisation as according to Ms Snowsill they faced a lot of dead ends while trying to reach out to everyone needing help.
These included demands of families needing support because they lost their jobs, families needing urgent medical treatment abroad with borders closed, families needing support with kids.
“It was very overwhelming but at the end of the day, we managed somehow. Our 2021 aims are even greater than what we have already achieved in year 2020.”
Ms Snowsill said they had new projects and plans, also introduce new ideas which would enable the underprivileged, vulnerable and disadvantaged to get the support which they need.
