Three sisters in Savusavu have undergone cataract surgery and have been able to see each other after a long period of time.
This was possible through the Savusavu Community Foundation and Direct Relief.
Ken Barasch and his wife Donna operate the Savusavu Community Foundation.
The Barasches formed the Savusavu Community Foundation, and began focusing on health care, reports Direct Relief.
“The more we went, the more I realized there was a need for other kinds of care in Fiji,” Barasch said.
“Reproductive health care, eye exams and glasses, chronic disease monitoring and treatment, and specialized surgery were all widely needed.”
Anytime the foundation received a medical request — for example, a Fijian hospital searching for a specialized oncology drug — “my first call is always to Direct Relief,” Ken said.
Gordon Willcock, Direct Relief’s Asia Pacific Regional Director, said that continuing support to Fiji is an ongoing priority — not just for the country alone, but for the region at large.
“It’s a strategic country in the Pacific,” he explained. “It’s a hub and connector to other Pacific Island nations,” he said.
