The California-based Loloma Foundation is once again on the Fiji Islands to conduct medical outreach programs for the villagers on the Yasawas, Teveuni and the Solomon Islands. The Loloma Foundation has been doing the outreach programs throughout the South Pacific for 15 years. Its mission is to provide sustainable medical, dental and infrastructure support to rural communities who would otherwise have no access to basic healthcare.
Navutu Stars Fiji is proud to be the venue for the Loloma Foundation for the past 12 years. The entire resort is handed over to their team for a week so they can provide the services to staff and all the neighboring island villages. The medical outreach programs began on Januray 24th and will end on February 1st 2016.  The founding member and project coordinator Ms. Linda Kwasny said that this annual medical and dental mission was done free of charge.
We got a chance to speak with Ms. Linda Kwasny to know more about Loloma Foundation and the medical outreach programs for the villagers on the islands.
Q: What are your medical teams comprised of?
A: Our medical teams are comprised of general internal medicine specialists, optometrists, pediatricians, dermatologists and women’s health specialists.
Q: How many medical experts and volunteers participate in the medical and dental mission this year?
A: This year, there are twenty four (24) American volunteers at Navutu Stars Fiji Resort and they participate in Loloma Foundation at their own cost.
Q: What services do you provide for the villagers on the islands?
A: The services consist of a full dental operatory of prosthodontics, general and oral surgery. Portable Aseptico dental units are used to create a field operatory at the resort, complete with auto-claving capability. All of the supplies are provided by the foundation. Additionally, a team of general medical specialists travel daily to set up clinics on other rural islands. Screenings are also conducted for surgical candidates to come to Loloma home base at the Waiyevo Hospital in Taveuni in the spring.
Q: How did the collaboration between Loloma Foundation and Navutu Stars Fiji start?
A: In 2003, I traveled to Fiji and met the owner, Maddalena to see about whether Navutu Stars would be interested to support the medical and outreach programs for the Yasawa Islanders. She graciously agreed to support and annually, the resort is handed over to the team to conduct the medical and dental mission on the Fiji Islands.
To know more about Loloma Foundation, you can visit their site here or their Facebook page, Loloma Foundation.
