The residents of Konani Village in Savusavu now have a new source of livelihood, thanks to the efforts of the Leadership Fiji 2022 fellows where they completed a multipurpose bus shelter, equipped with a toilet and a market area for the Women's Club.
Leadership Fiji 2022 fellow and Emergency Physician at the CWM Hospital, Doctor Deepak Sharma says they raised $43,000 for the project through several fundraising initiatives.
He says Vunidogaloa Village is the first Fijian village to be relocated due to climate change and is now known as Konani Village.
Dr. Sharma says he met 29 other people who he would not have met before and worked together to give back to the community.
He says there were moments that he did not know if he had the potential to deliver but learnings from the programme, made delivering the project and working as a team more fun, exciting and meaningful.
Dr. Sharma says they first went to the village in 2022 as part of the programme where they ended their tour at the old village site.
He says they were all emotional and were surprised at how resilient the community was.
The fellow says when they were leaving, a village elder asked them if there was any way they wanted to give back to the community and said that they have a project but no one has come forward to assist.
He says they faced delays during the construction stage of the project due to bad weather, however, they used the time to make a bookshelf and filled it with books for the children of the village.
Dr. Sharma says when the team left after completing the project, they felt fulfilled as they gave back not only in terms of money and time but physically as well.
He says their group plans to do at least one project a year.
Leadership Fiji 2024 cohort member and Westpac Fiji Corporate Affairs and Marketing Specialist, Ellen Stolz says she has always wanted to be a better leader and has been inspired by a lot of people who have been through the programme and encouraged her to get out of her comfort zone.
She says she is looking forward to learning more about herself and the qualities she has as a leader.
Stolz adds this will also be an opportunity to network and get to meet more people.
