Behind the beautiful scenery and collective vibrant cultures that make up Fiji is a crisis screaming for attention — the growing homeless population.
Homeless children as young as eight have been identified as drug addicts while others are forced to engage in prostitution or beg on the streets.
In a recent interview, 19-year-old Chad (not his real name) shares his experience of life on the streets and how he got there.
Growing up, Chad lived in an average family, a mother who cared for him and a father who worked to put food on the table.
But his world came crashing down when his mother died.
He was taken to his grandmother in Raiwai where he lived while his father remarried and built another family.
In a blend of coping with his grief and constantly searching to fill the void in his heart, Chad turned to life on the streets.
At 14, he was officially a dropout.
“Life on the streets is hard, we need to find a good place to sleep, especially during the cold weather,” he says.
“Some of us sleep in tunnels, under the Nabouwalu bridge, Thurston Gardens and on pavements.
“Sometimes we are forced by our own people to give up whatever we have. It could be a new pair of flip flops, a T-shirt or even money.”
Chad survives daily by purchasing dollar puddings from market vendors and selling them for two.
“I buy dollar puddings from the market with money given to me, and I sell them on the streets hoping people buy them.
“I don’t sell them all, maybe just two on a normal day, or five on a good day.”
Chad claims the number of homeless kids is growing daily.
“Every day I see new kids coming to join us. I don’t know where they come from and why they are here.
“I’ve seen kids as young as 11 take hard drugs and injectables. They don’t want to eat anything, they sleep during the day, beg at noon and find drugs at midnight.”
While Chad plans to go home one day, Brad (not his real name) is faced with the harsh reality of living all alone on the streets.
He grew up with his mom who worked on a farm and his father, an alcoholic who was a welder.
Soon after his parents’ separation, Brad moved to be with his mom and stepfather, however, he found himself caught in a web of struggles and depression following his mother’s separation from him.
He began to seek friendship and stable relationships outside of his family, following street dwellers and living his life the way they did.
Faced with rejection, neglect and not wanting to be a burden, Brad left his stepfather’s home in Wainibuku for the streets.
“I felt like I was a burden, life was hard for me at home,” he says.
“Then I decided to leave so that my stepmother could focus on raising my brother.”
The 19-year-old was overwhelmed with emotion as he shared his journey, explaining there were days he had to starve or survive on bread crumbs and day-old pies that people offered him.
“This wasn’t the life I imagined for myself,” he says.
“I did not think I’d be homeless, but I know that there’s hope for me.
“All I do is pray; I know that it is because of God that I am still alive today.”
Brad sleeps along the cold and dusty pavement by the Village 6 cinemas in Suva’s CBD.
Normally, his bed is a piece of cardboard and the clothes on his back.
“We sleep anywhere we think is safe and warm for us. During cyclones, some of us go back home while others like me find shelter at the Aquofoam Church.
“I only visit home when I have money and things to buy for them. I can’t go back without taking anything with me.”
Having spent his holidays alone on the streets last year, Brad hopes to save enough money so he can visit his brother and family again.
Officially, it is no secret that the number of homeless people has increased dramatically over the years, and this has been put down to the growing number of drug addicts, people suffering mental illnesses, parental deaths, poverty, domestic violence and rejection from home.
The general secretary of the Fiji Council of Churches, Reverend Simione Tugi, says the prevalence of homelessness reflects the state of disintegrating families in society.
“Churches have their own structures that directly deal with family lives, like Sunday school, youth groups and men’s and women’s groups established to strengthen families,” he said This was confirmed by the Assistant Minister of Women, Children and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran, who believes most children on the streets come from broken families.
“A whole society approach is needed, communities and families must step up and take responsibility,” she says.
From children sleeping in trees to senior citizens competing for a safe and dry spot to sleep at night, this is the sad reality of life on the streets of Suva.
It exposes the gaps within social services, scrutinising the efficacy of the support system and calls for a thorough re-evaluation of the existing
services for society’s most vulnerable.
Director of the Fiji Council of Social Services, Vani Catanasiga, believes the country’s leaders must prioritise people’s wellbeing this year.
“We would like for our leaders to go beyond investing in institutions which seem to have been prioritised above our future generation currently dwelling on our streets,” she says.
“Invest in families, go into communities and work with the vulnerable and those at risk.”
So, this new year, let us be part of the act of giving and being compassionate towards the unfortunate.
While we enjoy good hot food in the comfort of our homes, there are those who hope for half a meal and a good spot to sleep.
We need to bear in mind, that as the streetlights illuminate the streets of Suva, they also shine a spotlight on shadows that many like Brad and Chad find themselves in.
