Fiji Hub Achievement Report

August 2016

Silana Village Community Hall Revamp

During the term two school break, Global Vision International volunteers and staff banded together
to make improvements to the community hall of Silana Village. An area that is used so frequently by
the community, and an area where a majority of Silana Villagers associated with the events of
Cyclone Winston, improvements to the community hall would benefit all members of the village. GVI
staff alongside the youth of Silana decided that painting and mending the community hall would be
an important visual example of how much the village has worked together to rebuild their
community and their lives over the past six months and how much pride they should hold in
themselves and their village.
The community hall of Silana Village
was always a hub of singing and
laughter, a place for the community to
come together. It was always clear to
GVI volunteers when they were at the
community hall how much happiness
and care the members of the
community held for each other as well
as their homes.

Whether it was a Sevu Sevu, Tatau, Village meeting, a

celebration, a feast or a normal kava session, the
importance of the community hall and the pride Silana
villagers held in it was obvious.

GVI volunteers and staff, after consultation with Silana

Village, set to work to improve the area and make it
reflect how far the village has come after Cyclone
Winston. Staff and volunteers soon learned that the way
to make a community hall say happiness, pride and
community spirit in Fiji is with colour, the brighter the
better. Armed with lime green paint, carefully selected by
Silana Village members, GVI staff and volunteers began
making the community hall a space for their community partners to use with pride. After a week of
painting walls and beams and fixing new window louvers, the Silana Community Hall stood bright
and tall.
After disasters such as Cyclone Winston have occurred the psychological impact of seeing local areas
and homes in a damaged state can be long lasting. Losing pride in the village can cause people to
lose pride in themselves, resulting in a loss of motivation and causing a large delay in the recovery
process. Seeing the village get involved with the renovation of the community hall and the response
after it was finished showed how immensely proud the community members are of Silana
Community Hall. Completed and ready just in time for the national day of celebration for Fijis first
ever Olympic Gold Medal, the freshly painted community hall was decorated traditionally with
leaves and flowers as it always used to be when there were big celebrations.