MOVING to Fiji from New Zealand last year was a big change for Year Eight student Leonita Bondad of Nukuloa Sanatan Dharam School in Ba.
Not only did she move to Fiji, but she did so on her own, moving in with her grandparents while her mum remained in New Zealand to work.
Today, Leonita is the Head Girl at her school, and a Health Promoting Schools success story after she successfully managed to overcome the challenges she faced, thanks to the support she received from her teachers and grandparents.
The teachers at her new school were well positioned to support Leonita as she adjusted to school life after receiving basic training on the signs to look out for with students who may be showing mental anxiety by a World Health Organisation (WHO) consultant earlier this year.
The basic training session is part of addressing Mental Health and Well-being as a key focus area under the Health Promoting Schools (HPS) project.
These schools chose one of the three areas, that is, Mental Health and Well-being, Diet and Physical Activity; and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) – to improve on with the help of the Ministry of Education and Heritage and Arts and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services and technical support by World Health Organisation, thanks to funding by the Korean International Coordination Agency (KOICA).
Leonita’s school is focusing on Mental Health and Wellness which meant that the school implemented a number of initiatives such as developing a Grievance Procedure, a Referral Process, and built a Counseling Room to address this area.
During an interview with the team from WHO Division of Pacific Technical Support, Leonita shared the mental anxiety she experienced during, what could only be explained as a traumatic mental transition from the life she knew in New Zealand to a completely different one in Fiji.
“It was confusing at first. I was bullied when I started school here. I had no friends,” she explained.
Today, she feels the complete opposite and is sad that she will be returning to New Zealand.
“I feel sad that I will be going back to New Zealand soon. I enjoy it here. I have made friends and my teachers are good. My Hindi has improved,” Leonita said.
Leonita’s grandfather Chandra Segran, 63, of Vatusui Settlement has been her guardian since last year.
With the help of a translator, Mr Segran said he attended a community awareness programme where parents, teachers, and students were part of the audience in which a WHO consultant addressed parents on the area of Mental Health and Wellness including how to handle basic behavioral issues.
Head teacher Machael Ali, 42, said the school implemented HPS last year where they focused on Mental Health and Wellness.
“Some of the achievements we have made are including children to be part of the HPS Committee. This has given the student body a strong voice. We, also now have a Grievance Procedure, which outlines the steps the school needs to take when parents have a complaint. We also have a Referral Process, which again is something that we never had before… and a Counselling Room, which is newly built,” Mr Ali said.
He said in addition his teachers were now going out into the communities to raise awareness around social issues that students face such as bullying, smoking, and substance abuse that could lead to behavioral problems in school if not addressed.
The Fiji Health Promoting Schools (HPS) project is a three-year initiative that began in 2016 to expand and strengthen health promoting schools programme in Fiji.
The HPS project is implemented in over 200 schools in Fiji focusing on three main key areas: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Diet and Physical Activity (DPA), and Mental Health and Wellness (MHW).
The HPS project intends to improve health outcomes for children in Fiji through support for the child, community and school environment.
The goal of the project is to improve overall health of school-aged children in Fiji.
Good mental health is strongly related to children’s overall health and development and their ability to learn in school.
