From grief to purpose: Rabuka revives wellness ministry

Years of personal loss and witnessing loved ones suffer from serious illnesses have motivated Panapasa Rabuka to revive a wellness programme he started more than two decades ago.

Mr Rabuka is the co-ordinator and co-host of the 10 Days Wellness Ministry, a 10-day programme focused on promoting healthier food choices and spiritual growth in communities.

The programme has gained popularity around Fiji, with participants sharing their experiences of lifestyle changes and weight loss after consuming liquidised plant-based vegetables and fruits for 10 days.

Mr Rabuka started the programme in 2001, initially working with about 10 elderly people who he said experienced improvements in various physical ailments.

“It was miraculous in a way,” he said.

Years of suffering

Mr Rabuka described the results as remarkable.

However, the programme stopped after he and members of his team moved to different places. He moved to the United States and returned to Fiji in 2017.

His life was later marked by a series of devastating family losses. His eldest daughter and son died between 1999 and 2000. He also lost his mother-in-law and later his father, while his wife died of cancer in 2022.

Mr Rabuka recalled nearly losing another daughter in 2012 and said he prayed for “God to spare her”.

These experiences, together with what he described as God’s calling, inspired him to restart the programme earlier this year.

Mr Rabuka said he had two dreams which he believed showed him what God would do through him, although he did not understand their meaning at the time.

“I then realised that God had a greater call for me to do,” he said.

A simple approach

Mr Rabuka said the programme was designed to be simple, friendly, entertaining and effective, allowing people from different backgrounds and fitness levels to participate.

He initially designed it specifically for elderly people, developing fruit and vegetable juice preparations and exercises that could be comfortably undertaken by older participants.

The programme, however, soon proved useful to a wider group.

Mr Rabuka said women, elderly people, people living with obesity and those dealing with various ailments began participating and reporting improvements through lifestyle changes.

“I cannot declare that they were being healed or cured, but in the process of improving their health through this lifestyle, they were improving and doing very well.”

He said the positive response encouraged him to continue expanding the initiative. His daughter later began promoting the programme on social media, and Mr Rabuka said the response was immediate.

Health and livelihoods

With non-communicable diseases (NCDs) a major concern in Fiji, Mr Rabuka believes healthier lifestyles can contribute to improvements beyond an individual’s physical health.

“When you work on health, you’re working on your mind,” he said.

He believes a healthier workforce could contribute to Fiji’s economic recovery and encourage people to work because they want to contribute rather than simply because they are earning wages.

Mr Rabuka also linked healthier lifestyles to the livelihoods of local farmers.

He highlighted the struggles faced by women, mothers and grandmothers from rural communities who travel from the highlands over rugged and dusty roads to bring produce to urban markets.

He said some farmers spent nights in difficult conditions, including on cold pavements and in areas exposed to mosquitoes, while trying to sell their agricultural produce.

“When some of their goods remain unsold, they may have no choice but to discard them before returning home.”

Calling for volunteers

The ministry is now seeking more volunteers as it works to expand the programme and accommodate more people.

Mr Rabuka said the programme was not something he did for payment.

“It gives me joy to watch people improve their life,” he said.

He challenged families and individuals to take responsibility for their health and make lifestyle changes that could continue beyond the 10-day programme.

People interested in joining can provide their phone number to the team, which will then get in touch with them, or visit the 10 Days Wellness Ministry Facebook page and send a message for assistance.