My passion for helping FIJI
Donation protected
My passion started in 2010 when I was 12 weeks pregnant with my son Taj while in Fiji and I met my sons family in Nadi for the first time.
I could see that life was really tough and I wanted to make a difference and help in some way.
I started by helping my immediate family by sending clothes, shoes, bedding etc in big striped bags on a regular basis, and would call them often to see what they needed.
Later in 2010 we were so lucky to receive a full set of Surfers Paradise rugby union jerseys to take over. I also took a few sets of footy boots and balls and was very quick to realise how much the Fijians loved the sport. I had the privilege to meet and hand out the donated jerseys to Lautoka Rugby Club Team Members.
Meeting and spending time with the Fijian people has given me this opportunity to introduce and present my son Taj to his Fijian family when he was only 6 months old in 2011. Whilst in Nadi I decided to drive down to Lautoka and found myself stopping by villages and handing out the 25 new rugby balls and boots to the kids playing touch football along the side of the highway. I stopped and chatted to the kids who were playing. Their eyes told me how much they were passionate about their rugby. One player was so dedicated that, even though he had no shoes of his own, he would swap with a player every time there was a player substitute.
In 2014 I found myself in Fiji attending my cousins wedding at a resort on the Coral Coast. I messaged by cousin earlier and asked permission to send out a text to her guests asking for clothes, shoes etc to be brought over that people no longer needed. I then organised for all the wedding guests to come to Navutukvu and witness the village life and donate what was brought over. I also asked if everyone could buy flour, sugar, rice, oil so that I could present to the village for sharing. The children in the village put on a show and dance they all knew. One item was “I wanna taki taki”. We all then joined in with the kids. I spoke with my auntie about trying to raise some money for the village whilst I was there. We raised $500 to give to Navutulevu village.
Later we celebrated my sons third birthday at Naboutini Village on the Coral Coast. It was an eye opener to witness the traditional ceremony that the local chiefs preformed to welcome us in the presence of their chief. Taj and I experienced a birthday celebration like no other where a traditional feast was prepared and hand woven mates presented for us. I felt welcomed and right at home with my Fijian mum (Nene) at Navutulevu. At this stage we stayed with my Fijian mum, Nene for a week. During that time 150 pairs of footy boots were meticulously fitted by myself to these young inspiring athletes from the boot of my rental car. The ages of the kids ranged from 4 years old to teenagers and they were from 5 villages along the coast. Their parents were excited and very grateful for their kids.
I found out the next day that the boys kept their boots on while asleep fearing that someone would take them while they were asleep. My parents also attended the wedding and also came to the village. Both of my parents saw the excitement of the kids playing together in their new boots. My Dad joined in playing with the kids and then decided to have a run with the adults playing footy. The ground was very rugged and had many holes in the ground so it made it very difficult not to trip. Some of the men played with no shoes or shared a thong or a footy boot with their mates while the game was on.
Others without boots were given brand new Kooga jerseys, shorts and socks that I had bought form the Kooga warehouse clearance on the Gold Coast. Unfortunately I could not assist every boy in the area as I was bombarded with requests from other boys that had missed out. Hearing that there were still so many boys who were still in the need of equipment broke my heart, because, try as I may, I still didn’t have enough to give everyone. Upon leaving Fiji this time around I had only one thought in my mind – that I would do as much as I could possibly do to help these people. This would be my life’s purpose.
February 2016 – Cyclone Winston
This Category 5 cyclone was the most intense and severe cyclone on record to hit Koro island. Not only did the cyclone hit, but like many of its kind, was followed on by a tsunami. The entire island was flattened. Upon hearing the news I took to social media to reach out to everyone I knew to ask for immediate help to assist me in helping provide necessary household items like bedding, clothes, toiletries, food, nappies, torches – absolutely anything that would help these people who had just gone through this tremendous sudden life changing event. “Kool Kids” Nerang (my youngest sons Toarere’s kindergarten) sent out a mass email to all the parents and families asking for any donations. Elizabeth and Libby provided me with assistance in categorising, washing, cleaning and packing and freighting all of the items. It took 4 -5 trips with 3 separate cars just to cart all of the donation to the freights location in Brisbane. Because of all of the overwhelming support of donations, the time involved to sort, clean and categorize and pack was a like a part time job.
April 2018 – Cyclone Keni & Cyclone Josie
Once again I took to both social media and messenger to everyone I knew as well as my youngest sons kindergarten ‘kool Kids Nerang’. And once again I was greeted with enthusiasm and a large amount of donations, totalling 23 large storage containers in which blankets, clothes and other household necessities were kept. All of which were donated and distributed between the 3 villages that I had spent the majority of my time in Fiji.
In present times I am now getting ready for my next trip to Fiji scheduled for September 2018 to once again give all I can provide. I am excited, but also emotional as each time I go I know that with each pair of footy boots I give, a small part of me is given with it, and I will continue my quest to make a difference I will continue to collect donations and continue to give back to the people of Fiji. And in doing so I hope to inspire both of my sons, Taj who is seven and Toarere who is three, to carry on my mission of generosity and compassion.
Please note that I have funded this at my own cost and have never asked for money from anyone to help. That said, I am eternally grateful for any assistance that people are willing to give towards my passion.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for considering donating to a cause that is very close to my heart. I will forward you some photos shortly.
Vinaka Vakalevu
I could see that life was really tough and I wanted to make a difference and help in some way.
I started by helping my immediate family by sending clothes, shoes, bedding etc in big striped bags on a regular basis, and would call them often to see what they needed.
Later in 2010 we were so lucky to receive a full set of Surfers Paradise rugby union jerseys to take over. I also took a few sets of footy boots and balls and was very quick to realise how much the Fijians loved the sport. I had the privilege to meet and hand out the donated jerseys to Lautoka Rugby Club Team Members.
Meeting and spending time with the Fijian people has given me this opportunity to introduce and present my son Taj to his Fijian family when he was only 6 months old in 2011. Whilst in Nadi I decided to drive down to Lautoka and found myself stopping by villages and handing out the 25 new rugby balls and boots to the kids playing touch football along the side of the highway. I stopped and chatted to the kids who were playing. Their eyes told me how much they were passionate about their rugby. One player was so dedicated that, even though he had no shoes of his own, he would swap with a player every time there was a player substitute.
In 2014 I found myself in Fiji attending my cousins wedding at a resort on the Coral Coast. I messaged by cousin earlier and asked permission to send out a text to her guests asking for clothes, shoes etc to be brought over that people no longer needed. I then organised for all the wedding guests to come to Navutukvu and witness the village life and donate what was brought over. I also asked if everyone could buy flour, sugar, rice, oil so that I could present to the village for sharing. The children in the village put on a show and dance they all knew. One item was “I wanna taki taki”. We all then joined in with the kids. I spoke with my auntie about trying to raise some money for the village whilst I was there. We raised $500 to give to Navutulevu village.
Later we celebrated my sons third birthday at Naboutini Village on the Coral Coast. It was an eye opener to witness the traditional ceremony that the local chiefs preformed to welcome us in the presence of their chief. Taj and I experienced a birthday celebration like no other where a traditional feast was prepared and hand woven mates presented for us. I felt welcomed and right at home with my Fijian mum (Nene) at Navutulevu. At this stage we stayed with my Fijian mum, Nene for a week. During that time 150 pairs of footy boots were meticulously fitted by myself to these young inspiring athletes from the boot of my rental car. The ages of the kids ranged from 4 years old to teenagers and they were from 5 villages along the coast. Their parents were excited and very grateful for their kids.
I found out the next day that the boys kept their boots on while asleep fearing that someone would take them while they were asleep. My parents also attended the wedding and also came to the village. Both of my parents saw the excitement of the kids playing together in their new boots. My Dad joined in playing with the kids and then decided to have a run with the adults playing footy. The ground was very rugged and had many holes in the ground so it made it very difficult not to trip. Some of the men played with no shoes or shared a thong or a footy boot with their mates while the game was on.
Others without boots were given brand new Kooga jerseys, shorts and socks that I had bought form the Kooga warehouse clearance on the Gold Coast. Unfortunately I could not assist every boy in the area as I was bombarded with requests from other boys that had missed out. Hearing that there were still so many boys who were still in the need of equipment broke my heart, because, try as I may, I still didn’t have enough to give everyone. Upon leaving Fiji this time around I had only one thought in my mind – that I would do as much as I could possibly do to help these people. This would be my life’s purpose.
February 2016 – Cyclone Winston
This Category 5 cyclone was the most intense and severe cyclone on record to hit Koro island. Not only did the cyclone hit, but like many of its kind, was followed on by a tsunami. The entire island was flattened. Upon hearing the news I took to social media to reach out to everyone I knew to ask for immediate help to assist me in helping provide necessary household items like bedding, clothes, toiletries, food, nappies, torches – absolutely anything that would help these people who had just gone through this tremendous sudden life changing event. “Kool Kids” Nerang (my youngest sons Toarere’s kindergarten) sent out a mass email to all the parents and families asking for any donations. Elizabeth and Libby provided me with assistance in categorising, washing, cleaning and packing and freighting all of the items. It took 4 -5 trips with 3 separate cars just to cart all of the donation to the freights location in Brisbane. Because of all of the overwhelming support of donations, the time involved to sort, clean and categorize and pack was a like a part time job.
April 2018 – Cyclone Keni & Cyclone Josie
Once again I took to both social media and messenger to everyone I knew as well as my youngest sons kindergarten ‘kool Kids Nerang’. And once again I was greeted with enthusiasm and a large amount of donations, totalling 23 large storage containers in which blankets, clothes and other household necessities were kept. All of which were donated and distributed between the 3 villages that I had spent the majority of my time in Fiji.
In present times I am now getting ready for my next trip to Fiji scheduled for September 2018 to once again give all I can provide. I am excited, but also emotional as each time I go I know that with each pair of footy boots I give, a small part of me is given with it, and I will continue my quest to make a difference I will continue to collect donations and continue to give back to the people of Fiji. And in doing so I hope to inspire both of my sons, Taj who is seven and Toarere who is three, to carry on my mission of generosity and compassion.
Please note that I have funded this at my own cost and have never asked for money from anyone to help. That said, I am eternally grateful for any assistance that people are willing to give towards my passion.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for considering donating to a cause that is very close to my heart. I will forward you some photos shortly.
Vinaka Vakalevu
Organizer
Fiji Donations
Organizer
Southern Lamington QLD
