Fiji Disabled Peoples Federation leads disability inclusion aspects of AHP's COVID-19 Fiji Response

The Fiji Disabled People’s Federation (FDPF) has played a critical role in the Australian Humanitarian Partnership’s COVID-19 response in Fiji. FDPF has supported people with disabilities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic while also demonstrating its improved humanitarian response capabilities.

Early lockdowns and curfews put in place in Fiji to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks often challenged people with disabilities to access food and essential items such as toiletries. For many, these challenges were exacerbated by Tropical Cyclone Harold in April 2020, which saw many people lose their crops. 

During Fiji’s COVID-19 lockdown period, FDPF worked with local disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) to deliver food rations and dignity kits (containing items such as soap, sanitary pads) to people with disabilities in lockdown zones. 

Above: Mr Sailasa Ravuqa has grown a home garden with supported provided by FDPF as part of the AHP COVID-19 Fiji Response.

Together with the Psychiatric Survivors Association, FDPF also carried out COVID-19 awareness raising with persons with psychosocial or mental disability. During the early months of the pandemic, discussions revealed that 65 percent of persons with psychosocial disability who were homeless had never heard of the virus, and 100 percent did not know how the virus was transmitted or its symptoms. Since an initial awareness campaign that was run in 2020, FDPF has worked closely with the Fiji National Disaster Management Office and UNICEF to further raise awareness of COVID-19 among people with disabilities via a mobile platform.

The AHP COVID-19 response in Fiji is also focused on food security and resilience, and FDPF has delivered seedlings, farming tools, and integrated needs and sanitary kits to people with disabilities in Tailevu Province (Qoma Island, Muana Village, Vunivaivai Village and Lomainasau Village). Together with the Tailevu Provincial DPO and Ministry of Agriculture, FDPF carried out a scoping exercise to determine appropriate crops for people to grow, taking into account their particular disability. These households are also being supported with land preparation prior to planting. 

Mr Sailasa Ravuqa (pictured) from Nakorouto Village is 65 years old and lives with a disability. As part of the AHP COVID-19 response in Fiji, FDPF provided Mr Ravuq with seeds and gardening tools and he now has a home garden and is growing vegetables. This garden provides some assurance that he can access fresh vegetables during any potential future lockdowns.

The leading and important role played by FDPF in the AHP COVID-19 and TC Harold responses is a testament to the work undertaken by the organisation in recent years, including as part of the AHP Disaster READY Fiji program, to increase its disaster preparedness and response capabilities. FDPF has increased its capacity by dedicating more staff to disaster preparedness and response activities, training staff in disaster management and has received and allocated funding to the training of other Fijian NGOs and government agencies in disability inclusion.

The AHP COVID-19 Response in Fiji forms part of the AHP COVID-19 Pacific and Timor-Leste Response. For more AHP COVID-19 response information, please visit the AHP COVID-19 Resource Centre.