Ministry of Health Nutrition Month

Last month was the Ministry of Health’s First Annual Nutrition Month.
It was a great adventure.  My favorite part about helping prepare this event was that no one started planning anything until mid-July.  I kept my mouth shut throughout April, May, June and the first half of July wondering if this large scale event was even going to happen (it was highly possible that it just wouldn’t).  It did though, in full force, and I was proud to be a part of something big that doesn't take as much effort and stress that most Americans put into work.

Fijians have a beautiful way of getting everything together at the last minute and everything comes out just fine. I've realized that Westerners stress about plans, reservations, preparations, people involved, what to wear, money and time. Fijians figure, why start planning before you need to? Why stress? They know that plans are going to change anyway, so why try to make it, or better yet, believe anything is permanent?

I can honestly say that I have not been to one single event, meeting, workshop or dinner here where something unexpected and last minute did not happen.  Every time, I mean every single time, something changes. Whether it be the time, place, date, entire focus, people involved, food served, etc.

I love it.  I love that people don’t make plans because they know everyone lives day to day, minute by minute. I love that the rare instances where people do make plans, or plans must be made, the people know that it’ll all change.  I want to keep writing the phrase, “something went wrong”, but that is so Western. Nothing actually goes wrong, the course just changes paths.  I don't want to make a broad statement, but I think most American's are not very adaptable people.  We zone in on plans and stress ourselves out.

Fijians and Indians, know very well that anything unexpected can happen, and something usually does.  They are so closely knit with their families and nature that even the slightest change can alter everything.  I've been told, 'How could I plan for a vacation two months in advance, my mother might be sick, the sugar cane money might not come, maybe there will be a hurricane.' And they're right.  But Westerners live so far removed from nature and much more individualistic lives that most of these things don't effect us at all.  Living here has been an eye opening experience and I hope to incorporate both styles in my life, because in truth neither extreme is perfect and a mix is best.

So.... On July 12 I was asked  if we could find 100 fruit trees to plant during our Nutrition Month.  The dieticians wanted to plant fruit trees in Hospitals, Health Centers, Nursing Stations, schools and villages and  figured I would be best to ask since I work with organic gardens.  I had no idea where to find these 100 trees. I asked why they didn't plan for this earlier, and if they knew, why they didn't ask me earlier so I could make sure that many were germinated.  They just smiled and said, because we just started planning yesterday.  I smiled back thinking, oh right, I'm on Fiji time.

I knew that if we found the trees, life would be beautiful, and if we didn't find the trees, life would still be beautiful, just without part of the program. I wish I was a better writer and could make this very dramatic, but it turns out we were able to get 60 fruit trees of all different variety.  Everything worked out just fine.  It always does.  It always does everywhere, its just our perceptions that make us think differently.

After we got set up with programs for the month I was asked to travel around to all the locations and help plant trees/take pictures for the events.  (Sometimes it pays to be the only one with a camera :) ) It was a fun month with a lot of travel. I ate the most delicious foods (crab, octopus, wild fern in coconut milk, curry’s and homemade jams) and got the opportunity to see many new parts of this island.

Below are photos from the month’s events…There were Walks, Food Displays, Organic Gardening Talks (by yours truly) and Fruit Tree Planting.

August 1st, Opening Ceremonies in Nabouwalu (4 hours away form Labasa).  Brooke (another Peace Corps Volunteer who i'm pretty sure you can point out) came to walk with us!

during the walk a gospel choir sang. everyone in fiji has a good voice

the kids look really happy to be participating

where the opening ceremonies take place. all the important people sit in the chairs in front

garlanding (spelling?) the two chief guests. this makes everything official

After everyone spoke about Anemia and Nutrition we planted Fruit Trees (guava, papaya, saursop, mango, avocado)

Principal Agricultural Officer

Nabouwalu Doctor

Divisional Medical Officer

Divisional Dietician (my community counterpart)

Later in the week the Dieticians put on a Fruit and Vegetable Food Display.  They do this to help educate people on proper portion sizes and all the different types of fruits and vegetables Fiji has to offer.

At the Labasa Health Center  These are some of my co-workers!

the thing i love most about food displays is eating all the food afterwards!

Display at Sasa Village during a Village Health Worker Training. Vilisi on the far right (big smile) is the Dietician at the Labasa Health Center where i work, she is the friendliest person I have ever known.  I am so lucky to work around her.

With some of the Village Health Workers.

I'm really awkward here.  I'm supposed to help finish the entire that really big bowl of vakalolo ( a syrup coated root crop dumpling) but I was already so full. they kept telling me "Mo-ni-ka, kana vakalevu, kana vakalevu". Translated to Monica, eat more, eat more, eat a lot!

Then we planted more Fruit Trees at Naduri Health Center

Pete and Sherleen planting a passion fruit vine

Pete and Umesh planting a papaya tree

Planting at primary schools

school assembly at one secondary school before we planted.  headmaster asked me to speak about organic gardening without my prior knowledge. oh man, just imagine me standing up there! i've recently become a very soft spoken and shy public speaker so  hopefully i managed to sputter out something thoughtful

Wainikoro Health Center

Planting at Vunivutu Nursing Station. Sometimes i think the Northern Island looks nothing like a person would expect of Fiji

And if your wondering what Health Centers and Nursing Stations are, they look like this..

This is Vunivutu Nursing Station.  There is a room for patients called the clinic room and on the other side of the yard there is a building that looks just like this where the nurse and their family live.  Nursing Stations are  located in the rural communities and serve the basic needs of patients. Anything serious goes to the nearby health center, a similar structure but bigger and from there the hospital.

Here is a rural community that a nursing station would serve.  its about 2 hours away from town

another rural community

Sometimes I like to think about all the fruits people will be eating in a few years when these trees mature. I had a great month meeting new people, eating delicious food, working on Fiji time, traveling this island and helping bring good food into people's lives.

Next month I'll have a lot of photos from the gardens I've helped establish!


I want to hear about your lives too!  Send me an e-mail, mcdrazba@gmail.com, or snail mail at
Monica Drazba, PCV
Northern Health Services
P.O. Box 104
Labasa Fiji

Much Love,
Monica