The Yavusania Village Fiji Medical Centre Clinic Project was initiated by the Rotary Club of Cronulla in 2016, when member Maria Moran – a director of Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) – was approached by (Asinate) Rosie Latowa. Now an Ambassador of ROMAC Australia and New Zealand, Rosie was the fifth ROMAC child to come to Australia for treatment.
Rosie indicated that her childhood village in Fiji, Yavusania Village outside of Nadi, had an empty house and that the villagers hoped to turn it into a medical clinic to treat minor ailments such as cuts, bruising and sprains, instead of needing to travel to Nadi Hospital. The clinic required medical supplies to get it up and running.
A group of members from the Rotary Club of Cronulla first visited Yavusania Village in 2016. At that stage the clinic was an empty shell and they had to sit on the floor to present the many items they had brought with them.
The club then held several high teas to raise funds for supplies. They also received supplies donated by Sutherland Hospital and purchased other essential items that were not available in Nadi.
MP and State Attorney General Mark Speakman, left, with Chief Ratu Aseia Vakalalabure at the Rotary Club of Cronulla’s Fiji High Tea Fundraiser in July 2022
Members returned to the village in October 2017 with the medical supplies and many school supplies for the local kindergarten. They met with the village chief and head nurse and were treated to a kava drinking ceremony to thank the club for its support.
During a return visit in 2018, members found that two nurses from Nadi Hospital were working in the clinic one day a week and that it was also being utilised by three other villages, making it a very sustainable project, with the villagers helping to keep the clinic running.
During this visit the club was asked to assist in providing an operating theatre for the clinic. With the help of a district grant and another high tea fundraiser the club was able to send half the required funds for villagers to make a start on building the operating theatre.
The current progress of the stand-alone treatment room in Yavusania Village, Fiji.
However, rather than building an extension to the clinic, as originally planned, it was decided to build a stand-alone treatment room in a different location after identifying difficulties with the original site, including concerns relating to flood and fire.
The club sent the remainder of the agreed funds allocated to the project, with the government agreeing to help with the additional funds required to build the stand-alone treatment room, which was more expensive than the planned extension.
Then COVID hit. Supplies ran out. The villagers had no work, as the majority worked in the resorts.
Nurses from Nadi Hospital work in the clinic one day a week, meaning villagers no longer need to travel to Nadi for minor ailments.
Determined to see the project completed, the Rotary Club of Cronulla held another high tea fundraiser in early July 2022, and it did very well. The chief medical officer from Nadi, who is Rosie’s cousin, attended via Zoom and, along with the president of the medical clinic, provided an update on the clinic and how vital it is to the villagers. They also requested more money to complete the stand-alone treatment room as the Fiji Government was no longer able to provide assistance.
It is estimated it will cost approximately AU$14,000 to complete the building.
The club is undertaking further fundraising activities, including an on-line raffle partnering with the Its Time Foundation. First prize is a holiday to Fiji, with the raffle to be drawn on November 17.
MAIN PICTURE: Members of the Rotary Club of Cronulla, villagers and medical staff during a visit to the Yavusania Village Fiji Medical Centre Clinic in 2018
About Rosie Lotawa
Originally from Fiji, Rosie was the fifth ROMAC child to come to Australia for treatment. Today, she lives and works in Australia and is a ROMAC Ambassador.
Rosie recently received Paul Harris Fellow recognition from the Rotary Club of Cronulla for her work with ROMAC. Her recognition was presented by Past District Governor Stephen Humphries and Rotary Club of Cronulla President Maria Moran.
As well as regularly speaking at conferences and clubs around Australia and New Zealand, Rosie visits every ROMAC child who goes to Sydney Children’s Hospital for treatment. She always takes toys and a loving presence.
Rosie is the team leader for the Rotary Club of Cronulla’s Fiji Trip, where she organises visits to schools, villages and hospitals and coordinates meetings with doctors, village elders and Rotary clubs.
