Involvement Volunteers International Hi Lauren!
Sorry for the late response, we were on the go very day! I loved our experience in Fiji for so many reasons, especially the people we got to know.
Highlights of the trip:
As a nurse, the most challenging but also interesting parts were the health checks in the Commune and the hospital experience.
The commune because I felt needed and people seemed receptive of our recommendations, which is always a great environment to work in.
At hospital we spent two weeks in the women’s medical ward: it was overcrowded, the nurses workload was high and our help was welcomed. The working conditions are hard but more typical of Fijian hospital wards.
We spent two more weeks in the emergency department: completely different working conditions and resources, as the ED department has been renewed just one year ago. The team was amazing and ready to teach us whatever they could.
We were willing to spend our holiday week extending our hospital work, but the nursing council didn’t agree to extend the registration. I would therefore recommend to anyone to register for a longer period than planned as the price and procedure wouldn’t change.
Comments on the team, food and accommodation:
The food and accommodation were amazing during the entire trip. I loved to taste typical Fijian dishes and got used to it very easily.
Any improvements to help us be better:
During the nutrition project, we were staying in the Sheraton hotel rooms and mainly eating customer food. Although we enjoyed the luxury and the time spent with the amazing team, I think it would probably create a better bond with the workers as well as an better insight into their lives to eat and live with them. But that is only my opinion and I understand that could be harder for people with special diets for example. I would also recommend to these type of hotels with such a high standing to hire a nurse all year around for their facility, as we were often giving more of general health advice, rather than strictly nutrition.
I also wanted to thank you and the entire team for making such an experience possible for us. It was hard to find an organization fitting our budget and we will never forget our trip to Fiji. I look forward to experience Nepal!
Kind regards,
Delphine
P.S. I’ll send you pictures on Facebook 😉
