Loloma Foundation “From the heart”

Published: 25th Sep 2023

Charity is essential and therefore meant to be done for public benefit, relief and to provide aid to people at times of need in any part of the world especially those who are the victims of war, natural disaster, catastrophe, hunger, disease, poverty, orphans by supplying them with food, shelter, and medical aid.

It is to this end that a Memorandum of Understanding between JP Baily Trust and Loloma Foundation is envisaged. The right culture will develop the confidence and motivation of the Bayley Trust staff and Loloma Foundation volunteers by increasing collaboration, creating momentum, breaking down siloes, empowering people to share ideas, using and sharing data to improve decision making and increasing transparency.

We know that building new relationships and experimenting with new ways of supporting people is the only way to respond to the unprecedented level of need created.

For example, this new partnership with Loloma Foundation has given JP Bayly Trust an insight into the types of health issues in the region particularly the Solomons and Fiji and how to pool volunteer resources.

It provides us with an opportunity to see that something as simple as open dialogue enables more diverse insights for reaching vulnerable groups. Crucially, collaborating allows us to support more people than we would otherwise.

Therefore, when charities look ahead to surviving issues as the Covid 19 pandemic and beyond they need to form a collaboration a vision of better partnership. In many smaller charities there is an internal silo mentality, so we need to learn to collaborate within our small teams before we start working in partnership effectively.

KEEPING PARADISE HAPPY

The Loloma Foundation mission is to provide sustainable medical, dental and infrastructure support to rural communities in the South Pacific who would otherwise have no access to basic healthcare.

The Loloma Foundation is a California based 501 (c) (3) nonprofit corporation established in 2001. The board members consist of six medical, dental, and business professionals who share a common goal of improving the lives and health of the people of the South Pacific.

To learn more about Ways in which Loloma Foundation helps please visit https//loloma foundation.com

The Resident Representative of the Fiji Loloma Foundation Trust shared how the Trust was formed and established in Fiji. Doctors holidaying from the US were requested by the owner of a Beqa resort to return at some point to and to give free medical services to the community in response to their overwhelming care and kindness. The year was 2003. The doctors agreed and the Fiji Loloma Foundation Trust was registered and established.

Around 150 doctors from the US travel annually to Fiji and the numbers continue to grow. Government supported the Foundation by doing away with the cost of obtaining licenses to operate for 7 days at a time; a tremendous savings for the Foundation as acknowledged by the Resident

Foundation Teams go out to the villages and liaise with health centers on schedules for treatment following which referrals are then made. Fares and meals are covered by the Fiji Foundation.

In the Yasawas one of the two mission sites is made available at the Navutu Stars Resort as staff depart on holidays. The bures are divided into surgical, medical, dental and women’s health facilities. Accommodation is provided at reasonable cost by resort owners.

At Taveuni the Waiyevo Hospital provides the facilities for treatment. Accommodation is offered by the Douglas family at the beautiful Matenga Resort.

The doctors arrive from high end hospitals paying their own air fares, accommodation, and meals. These hospitals are generally patronized by celebrities and the relatively rich. Their work is purely voluntary,

• Cedar Sinai Hospital a nonprofit world class specialty care at your fingertips offers world class specialty care from expert physicians pioneering research and education while setting new standards for patient
• Mayo Clinic nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care research and education from all walks of life. Top ranked hospital in the US includes treatment for cancer cardiology and heart surgery diabetes and endocrinology geriatrics gynecology orthopedics and
• Mayo Clinic’s mission is to inspire hope contribute to health and wellbeing by providing the best care to every patient thru integrated clinical practice education and research. Their primary value is, ‘the needs of the patient come ’
• The third Clinic is Scripps Health in San Diego another nonprofit organization with their mission call ‘ Here for you and Here for good!

Equipment for their work is sent by containers from the US. This equipment is stored at Waiyevo Hospital and distributed to health clinics at the end of treatment. The medical personnel have no hesitation to wade through swamps and tributaries to get to the villages. Such is their commitment and passion to serve disadvantaged communities. If a patient is affected by cataract in both eyes, one eye will undergo surgery the first year and the second the following year so that follow ups are a vital part of the process.

The Fiji Foundation is strongly supported by the International Women’s Association (IWA). President Judy Compain amongst other activities is often seen at the wharf rolling up her sleeves to distribute nutritious chicken meals with salad, cookies and juice to patients waiting to board the boat for the two hospital sites. Following close at hand is the equally hard-working assistant, Alanieta Disake. Other forms of assistance for boats pontoons and human labor are prevalent during natural disasters and other crisis. This is critical since the Fiji Foundation does not receive financial support. However, the show must go on. So, when good people come on board it should not be considered a favor nor should one be embarrassed to receive it in good faith particularly when the service is to serve disadvantaged communities on the ground.

JP Bayly Trust

In February 2023 the Trust welcomed Dr Ian Palmer from the US at our Lautoka office. The Branch office was turned into a temporary clinic to carry out screening of thirty-four people from around the country. Four JP Bayly Trust clients were included in the screening and surgery at no cost.

It was noted that a few cases had symptoms of cancer and referred to the Fiji Cancer Society of Fiji. Conveniently, the Society is housed in the JP Bayly Trust building as tenants. The JP Bayly Trust and the Fiji Cancer Society have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding and this decision should go a long way too in collaborative work.

Many of the patients who attended the screening process at Lautoka were from the Yasawa Islands and the day turned out to be highly productive and successful. Dr Palmer attended to each patient with compassion and patience following which a hefty lunch was prepared by the Lautoka branch staff of the Trust in recognition of his tireless efforts.

The JP Bayly Board, its staff and volunteers express their gratitude to the Loloma Foundation team and wish to assure them that we at the Bayly Trust are ready and willing to continue this collaboration with them.