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Priorities of the People: Hardship in the Fiji Islands

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What is Hardship?

A house made of scrap materials

The assessment focused on identifying people’s perceptions of hardship and poverty to better understand the views, needs, and priorities of the people, especially the poor themselves.

When asked about hardship, the most common Fijian term used was bula dredre (meaning “not enough money to pay debts,” “lean-to house with pit toilet,” “little plantation,” and “receiving welfare”). Dravudravua was the term used for poverty (meaning “no food,” “no house,” “no money,” and “no land”).

People described hardship in the urban areas, particularly in Suva and Lautoka (Central and Western Divisions), as “being always in debt” and dependent on others, and having low income, poor living conditions, unsafe water supply, and stressful family relationships that lead to broken marriages and problematic children. In the rural areas of the Northern, Western, and Eastern Divisions, hardship was described as poor living conditions, including poor sanitation, limited access to health care, unsealed roads and poor transport service, low income, poor access to markets, vulnerability to calamities such as cyclones and droughts, and an inability to afford to meet basic needs and fulfill family, church, and traditional obligations.

Despite some differences between rural and urban communities, both groups defined hardship as: (i) low income, which limits people’s ability to provide for family needs and traditional and church obligations; (ii) lack or limited access to basic services, particularly education (beyond Class 8), safe water supply, roads, transport, and electricity; and (iii) landlessness, particularly for indigenous Fijians who have moved to urban areas and Indo-Fijians and Melanesians who are dependent on leasing land for shelter and growing crops to eat and sell for income.

The assessment found a growing dependence on cash even by rural and remote outer island communities. Meeting basic needs and accessing services such as education and health care increasingly require cash payments.

The communities’ views on whether hardship had increased or decreased over the past 5 years were evenly split between those who have seen an improvement in their lives and those who said their situations have worsened. Ten percent saw no change in their standard of living. The communities who felt their lives had improved cited construction of a community hall, foot path, community water supply, and rural electrification as improving their standard of living and sense of well-being. These projects all addressed basic services and needs. The communities that experienced greater hardship pointed to higher prices of basic goods such as flour, rice, and fuel; more joblessness, particularly in urban settlements; and high drop-out rates for both rural and urban children.

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