Judiciary brings hope to sick children

Sixty young patients at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital’s children’s ward received boxes of essential supplies last Saturday, as judicial staff from the High Court of Fiji’s Central Eastern Division reached out to families in need.

The visit formed part of the division’s annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, an initiative where staff voluntarily give back to the community beyond their official duties.

Each box contained diapers, baby powder, bathing soap, milk, cereals, Milo, coconut oil and baby wipes — basic items many families struggle to afford while caring for hospitalised children.

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Each box contained diapers, baby powder, bathing soap, milk, cereals, Milo, coconut oil and baby wipes — basic items many families struggle to afford while caring for hospitalised children.

Chief Registrar Tomasi Bainivalu, who led the visit alongside Resident Magistrates, described the experience as emotional.

"I was really emotional going around talking to these sick children with their parents — mostly mothers and some fathers too," Mr Bainivalu said. "You can really see some kind of hope and joy in their faces."

Chief Registrar Tomasi Bainivalu, who led the visit alongside Resident Magistrates, described the experience as emotional.

The $3,000 initiative saw 60 boxes packed and distributed among 57 young patients at CWM, the country’s main referral hospital in Suva.

On the same day, the team also planted 600 mangrove seedlings along the foreshore near the Suva Yacht Club in a $662 environmental effort aimed at strengthening coastal protection. Staff were guided by four officers from the Ministry of Forestry.

The division’s CSR activities are funded entirely through voluntary contributions, with staff donating $3,930 and judicial officers contributing $895.

The programme is held annually across Fiji’s three judicial divisions.