It was like a blue sky appearing over the horizon as thick clouds moved away.
Jone (not real name), 25-year-old new graduate, felt relieved after he talked to a counsellor for the first time about what he went through and how difficult and constrained he felt being raised without parents, who left him with his grandparents, since he was a young child.
Jone learned about the services being provided in the neighbouring community hall.
He found the services were wide-ranging, including a group of government agencies and civil society organisations (CSOs), as well as voter and other registrations, various medical and health services, and a psychosocial counsellor whom he sat with.
The Rights, Empowerment and Cohesion (REACH) for Rural and Urban Fijians project, a platform of service providers led by the Fijian Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, co-ordinates various service providers for integrated service delivery to communities, making public services accessible at the doorsteps of people.
The REACH project is implemented by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) funded by Japan.
The counsellor from a CSO, Empower Pacific said there were psychological barriers especially among men which prevented them from sharing with others their negative feelings and emotions because of a social and cultural stereotype which obliged men to hide their emotions and breakdowns.
“The stereotype is, however, being challenged and more men are coming out to talk to our counsellors about emotions and stress they face. It is a healthy change as mental health matters to everyone,” said the counsellor.
“I feel so light and clear now after talking to the counsellor and threw up all my feelings and emotions I had kept inside me and never talked about all through my school years,” Jone said.
“I have graduated from university specialising in agriculture and applied for a public servant job. My aim is to get employed and support my grandparents and relatives who raised me. I am also ready to accept and forgive my parents if they turn up.”
Jone is now hopeful and prepared to move forward. Jone was one of the community members who took the opportunity and accessed services which would otherwise be unknown or unaffordable, considering much time and money they have to spend to travel and visit different offices in town, or simply inaccessible if they are not physically fit enough to take the long walk and bus ride to town.
It was the case for Raijieli Aoinabanaba, 85 years old, who relied on a long and unstable wooden stick to move around her house since she was no longer able to move her legs steadily.
Ms Aoinabanaba did not expect that she would regain better mobility and a chance to walk further and more comfortably until she met a specialist from a CSO, Spinal Injury Association (SIA), who visited her house as part of the REACH service delivery and provided an elbow crutch adjusted to her.
“The new crutch fits me well. This will help me stay more active and do more things safely,” said Ms Aoinabanaba.
SIA specialist also provided his advice to Jone as he sought assistance for his grandfather who needs mobility support.
The REACH mobile service delivery sessions were provided in Wainibuka District over two weeks in February and March in different communities.
The REACH platform was also joined by the Ministry of Rural Development, Republic of Fiji Military Force, Water Authority Fiji and more to assist communities to recover better from the damages caused by the recent flooding which hit the area a month ago.
The Fiji REACH mobile service delivery will continue to bring services to communities vulnerable to direct and indirect impact of disasters, and communities whose access to public services are geographically, socially, or economically challenged.
The platform is also being rolled out in Tonga with additional equipment and tools to assist the team on the ground shipped from Fiji with support from Japan.
- SALESI SAVU is the project officer/REACH coordinator at UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji. The views expressed are the author’s and do not reflect the views of this newspaper.
