Nutrition and Public Health Projects Fiji
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Smarter, Healthier, Better Fiji.

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"Powering Health Literacy through Volunteerism"

We are a non-for profit, run primarily by volunteers from Fiji and abroad.
We
conduct Public Health Literacy programs, Food literacy programs plus Nutrition, Dietetics, Occupational Therapy, Community Services, Physical Activity and Youth Projects in Fiji, and facilitate health research, masters thesis & dissertation.

Health Literacy Programs July 2017 with Monash University & Open Colleges Students

Health Literacy Programs - Feb 2017

    Join our Health Literacy programs. Special programs are developed for Groups & Universities. Join us as a team or on your own. Lodge your interest here.

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  • ACATA (Action for Children And The Aged) Trust Fiji is a leading NGO in health literacy and behaviour change programs in Fiji. We have a strong network and trusted reputation: working in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Diabetes Fiji, Corporate, Town Councils & Health NGOs (local & international) to deliver innovative, evidence based behaviour change programs in schools, villages & communities.

We designed and implemented Fiji's first school health & wellness policy, having worked in more than 25 schools, 20 villages and numerous corporates. Our programs have touched the lives of more than 150,000 Fijians so far.

We have designed and conducted volunteer based programs for various volunteer agencies over the past 5 years, engaging more than 300 volunteers from all academic backgrounds, especially in nutrition, sports science and dietetics. We specialize in impact education and behaviour change models, and health empowerment through institutions and communities.

Facts1
  • 50% of the adult population in Fiji are projected to be Diabetic within the next 5 years
  • 4 out of 5 Fijians are dying from an NCD
  • Diabetes related comorbidity is fast becoming the number 1 killer in Fiji
  • NCDs kill more than 4000 people in Fiji each year, giving an average of around 11 deaths per day.
  • More than 82 % of all deaths attributed to NCDs occur before the age of 60
  • Cardiovascular diseases account for most NCD deaths in Fiji
  • Associated risk factors are unhealthy diets, tobacco use, physical inactivity, the harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diets.
  • National risk figures
    • 15% of Fiji’s population exercise
    • 30 % consume alcohol
    • 17 % smoke cigarettes
    • Poor Dietary patterns contributes to the NCD disease burden more than any other risk factor.
  • Only 15% of our population live beyond the age of 55
  • Approximately, only 8% of the elderly population live beyond the age of 60
  • Over the next 10 years the cost or the disease burden of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke will take a tremendous toll on the national income of Fiji
1 Based on Ministry of Health Data, projections and WHO data


We run programs directly, cutting out the middleman and agencies, ensuring that the money goes to community based programs, whilst safeguarding our organisation sustainability.
Our homestays or group accommodations are only going to provide healthy local food, focusing on global nutrition principles, whilst empowering the locals.

How much does it cost to take part in our projects?
Our primary objective is to deliver and facilitate quality health literacy programs to the Fijians, while offering affordable volunteerism opportunities to all. We do not charge any application fees. Placement fees covers home-stay accommodation, breakfast, lunch & dinner, supervision, project expenses, administration, and school registration fees. Any leftover funds is pumped back into the organization for public health projects (every 6 months) and organization sustainability. We have field supervisors at project sites and volunteers do not pay for any office or marketing costs.

We are a not-for profit organization, and as such, project fees are low and depends on the length of stay in Fiji. Our main objective is to deliver quality health literacy projects in Fiji. We value the power of volunteerism and appreciate the skills and knowledge each volunteer brings to the project. Major chunk of the project fees is taken up by accommodation, meals and logistic management.

Email your expression of interest on the intended length of stay and your budget, and we would be happy to accommodate reasonable offers. Average cost of projects are around AU $250 - $500 per week depending on length of stay and the nature of work we are engaged in during the period. Due to fixed fees, longer stays are cheaper.

Apart from this, you will have to consider your airfares, volunteer visa fee of FJD 180, mandatory travel Insurance, tours, travel to and from placement (approx $2 per day) and spending money.

Please email us for family or group fees.

The main project supervisor is an Australian qualified nutritionist and Health Science graduate with Training & Assessment Certificate, and we sign off on all volunteer placement/attendance forms.

Why
50 % of Fijians are projected to acquire Diabetes within the next 5 years, placing a huge social, economical and emotional load on their families. Currently, 1 in 3 Fijians are found to have elevated blood sugar, and this is primarily attributed by the excessive consumption of simple carbohydrates like white rice, refined flour and cassava (a local root crop with very high Glycemic Index).

The biggest challenge to better health in Fiji is the lack of health literacy and good food culture that goes along with it.

Pre-mature deaths (around 11 a day) due to NCDs is now seen as normal in Fiji and we are trying hard to change the mindsets of the Fijians everyday.

More than 90% of the people have abdominal obesity and this increases the risk of NCDs. More younger people are now showing signs of Diabetes than ever before. Very few people are doing physical activity for recreation and this has just been the culture.

Modernization is taking over Fiji without the appropriate health literacy. People are taking short cuts without realizing the impact it is having on their health.

Our objective is to empower Fijians to make informed decisions about their lives through simple, innovative and evidence based health programs.

Our projects allow us to do research to better understand health attitudes and behaviors in Fiji.

We aspire to transform health behaviors and save the next generation from the misery and suffering of NCDs.

We do this mostly through our school health education programs, empowering a new generation of change.

You will map personal health attitudes and behaviours through a personal health mapping questionnaire and counsel Fijians on good dietary and wellness guidelines.

Monitoring and evaluation is an integral part of our programs. We will map behaviour change and provide support programs to motivate the change.

Our support programs are cooking classes, innovative recipe ideas, backyard gardening, permanent agriculture practices, superfood gardens like Moringa farm or a Bele farm, physical activity groups, creation of sustainability groups amongst young mothers and youths, and FIji Vitality Challenge.

The Fiji Vitality challenge emphasizes on holistic health, natural foods and improving quality of life for the Fijians.

Physical Activity - Sports
We have partnered with Gymnastics Australia to develop innovative Fitness for Health programs in Fiji to encourage behaviour change amongst the Millennials, which in turn, would foster a healthier generation. For more on Gymnastic Australia Programs, please visit www.gymnastics.org.au

ACATA Policies

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Olivia Hughes - RMIT, Australia
Volunteer Testimony  -2017
Olivia Hughes  - RMIT

"Being involved in ACATA Trust’s nutrition and public health program is one of the most rewarding things I’ve partaken in. The skills and knowledge I obtained over there, I will take with me into a career in nutrition and the confidence I have gained is enormous.
The nutrition and public health program was great as it was flexible, allowed us to work in a variety of settings and provided many different challenges. The program took a holistic approach to health which meant not only was it about trying to change dietary habits in individuals but about helping Fijians create goals to improve their overall quality of life as well as have an impact on government policy.

Over the two weeks we conducted nutrition classes in schools, Zumba and yoga fitness classes, a large public health screening and counselling in Nadi, village health screenings and a small pilot study on the topic of pre-diabetes prevalence amongst secondary school aged children. The impact and reach we had was far greater than I ever expected. Though some the of the results we obtained on the health of locals were confronting, the Fijian people were amazing to work with and showed much willingness to engage, learn and make a change.

All this would not have been possible without the amazing work done by Rosan and Sarah to developed ACATA Trust. Their passion for improving the health and lives of Fijians is inspiring and was a privilege to work along side them. Thank you, Rosan and Sarah for being such great mentors. We accomplished so much in the short two weeks while still having fun, lots of laughter and many funny memories. I look forward to being involved in the program in the future." 

Volunteer Testimony  -2016

"From an academic point of view, ACATA Trust Fiji has helped me understand more about the
functioning of an NGO, project coordination, and it has helped me develop various kinds of know-hows that will come in handy for any future work as well! The program itself was very flexible, and gave me the opportunity to make use of my particular skill-set and strengthen my communication, interpersonal, managerial, and many other abilities in an independent and pro-active manner! The work that I did during this program didn't even feel like 'work' because it was so interesting for me! The time passed way too fast!

From a personal perspective, ACATA Trust has enabled me to discover more of what I am hoping to do for a living one day! My area of interest lies within the health sector - although I'm still figuring out what area in particular I'm hoping to get involved in - and ACATA Trust has given me the opportunity of taking my first step into this area of development! Rosan and Sarah have been the most helpful project coordinators and were able to include any ideas and thoughts I brought to the program! The home-stay was organised incredibly well and I have found some of the best friends I could have hoped for whilst I was there. Leaving the school at the end of my stay was really hard, because everyone I met (staff and students) were so welcoming and friendly!
This program is 100% worth any recommendation, thanks to Rosan and Sarah!! Thank you for making my experience with ACATA Trust Fiji such an unforgettable one! "      


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Christina Zorenboehmer, Postgraduate Student- UK, September 2016

    Interested in Internships and volunteer opportunities that include home-stay, meals, project and administration costs? Let us know.

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ACATA Nutritionist, Sarah Burgess-Lal (far left) and ACATA Executive Director, Rosan Lal (far right) launching the School  Health & Wellness Policy in a Primary School in Nadi.

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August 2016: Volunteers Bethany and Christina from Denmark leading a school lunch hour Zumba session.
Physical Activity & Sports Programs are in Partnership with Gymnastics Australia
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           ACATA Fitness for Health
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Project Partners

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Resources

External content- authors are specified in document.
Moringa /Saijan/Boro-ni-idia Benefits and cultivation
File Size: 1143 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Non-communicable diseases and health system responses in Fiji
File Size: 1199 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

FIJI KHANA-KAKANA COOKBOOK
File Size: 9586 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Fiji National NCD Strategic Plan 2010-2014
File Size: 2899 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Diabetic Foot Sepsis in Fiji: Incidence and review of literature
  www.health.gov.fj/eJournal/index.php/2016/02/18/diabetic-foot-sepsis-in-fiji-incidence-and-review-of-literature/
Diabetes in Fiji - Jacqueline White
jackiewhitebelize.wordpress.com/proposal-diabetes-in-fiji/

Volunteer Videos

The People of ACATA

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​MEDICAL HEAD

Dr. B. P. Ram

MBBS, DTPH (Uni. Sydney), HPM (Harvard), FRSTMH (London),


EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Rosan Lal
Graduate Cert. Project Management,
Dip. Community Services,
Dip. Business Leadership,
Cert. IV Training & Assessement
Public Health(HavardX)


NUTRITIONIST & HEALTH LITERACY PROGRAM CONSULTANT

Sarah Burgess-Lal
Graduate Cert. Public Health,
BSc (Nutrition), BA (Social and Community Studies),
Cert. IV Training & Assessment,
Level 1 Accreditation Hatha Yoga Teacher

More about our Founder, Dr. Ram.....
Adjunct Prof, Postgraduate Studies Community Health & Family Medicine (University of Fiji), 
Telemedicine Fiji (Principal) & Projects Officer Consultancy
Specialist Physician Community Medicine, Epidemiologist & Health Management
Dr. B. P. Ram is a renowned integrative medical doctor, licensed general practitioner, and researcher,
Initiator -Director of Fiji Kidney Dialysis services and Kidney Foundation, Action for Children and the Aged- charitable trusts and
Senior lecturer at University of Fiji & Umanand Prasad School of Medicine Head of Community Medicine.
He has been a pioneer in Fiji medicine since the late 1970s setting up community medicine programmes & outreach medical outposts, and has published research papers on several of his key integrative health issues. He is the founder and President of Fiji Haemophilia Foundation.
Dr. Ram is a public health Specialist, expert in strategic planning, synergistic protocols to address numerous areas of health including, palliative care,
immunity, digestion & Thyroid –Liver health, detoxification, diabetes, Renal disease / Chronic Kidney failure, cardiovascular health, infectious disease control and more. His approach integrates modern science with traditional wisdom for optimal health, healing and wellness.He has been team member for the establishment of first Fiji Cardiac Unit / Fiji Births Online registry and Fiji Cancer Registry.
Dr Ram is an Active Primary Health Care Advocate and was awarded the 25th Independence Anniversary Medal for Services to Fiji, Fellow of the Fiji College of General Practitioners, Member Fiji Medical Association, he has postgraduate qualifications from, Sydney University,Korea Institute for Population & Health -Seoul and Harvard University

© 2017 ACATA Trust Fiji. All rights reserved

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  • Home
    • About US
    • Faces of Fiji
  • Our Projects
    • Nutrition & Public Health
    • Physical Activity & Sports
    • Long term Interships
    • Occupational Therapy & Physiotherapy
  • Why Fiji
  • More
    • Gallery
    • Get in touch
    • Volunteer Testimonies
    • Our Publication & newspaper Articles
    • Success Stories
    • Donate towards our Health Programs
  • Voluntourism Opportunities