Welcome to the Justpeace Talanoa Bure @ COVID 19 productions and visibility outreach – “Engaging with rural leaders solidarity utilizing minimal of spaces and reac hing out to the broader wider communities across the boarders within Fiji and the Pacific with mainstream media a Big Vinaka Vakalevu to development partners, Conciliation Resources and Associates and Fiji TV for your support. In the recent past we witnessed major changes; Climate and Environment change is a priority in the region. COVID 19 hit us with a bang as it arrived in Fiji on March 19 2020. We thought, like all other disasters, it would last only for a few days, or impact only Viti Levu. Everything were shut down.
Today June 12th schools are still on shut down here in Fiji. Business houses, churches, roads cities and villages were shut down and mostly are still closed.. There were levels of confusions and chaos as people rushed to prepare for the Pandemic, something we didn’t know, that was affecting Fiji and world for the first time. Our close knitted rural communities with their limited infrastructures, and lack of communications also prepared to protect themselves, their norm – culture the Vanua and traditional ways of doing, there were reaction to the change, the environment change and also to social change.
Building Justpeace Communities in Changing Environment and Climate is a project that brings us to these Transitional platforms and most of all to the forefront of COVID 19.
In these series we will be presenting stories, experiences and opportunities to learn more about peacebuilding initiatives, and community engagements from our local communities. For Transcend Oceania as peacebuilding organization –looking at rising conflicts, violence and trauma during this time, working through climate conflicts with the diversity of cultures, relationships and traditional nexus and norms, creating an innovative talanoa space is important. Engaging at the forefront of Recovery, as we strive together for inclusive Justpeace and positive development through these changes is important, Talanoa facing each other on the mat cannot be avoided by many of us, and what about people with special needs – This is what Justpeace Talanoa Bure @ COVID 19 is about” – says Adi Vasulevu the Executive Director Transcend Oceania. Stay tuned within the coming months.
