On September 10–15, 2023, a team of 21 volunteers from Sanitarium Health Food Company, in New South Wales, Australia, partnered with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and spent five days in Fiji to provide better sanitation and health care for local communities.

During their stay, the team completed the construction of ten toilets for fifteen families and an additional bathroom specially designed for a family led by a person with a disability.

The team also partnered with the 10,000 Toes Campaign to conduct health screenings. Pamela Townend, 10,000 Toes coordinator for the South Pacific, said, “The 10,000 Toes Campaign was pleased to provide healthy juices and health screenings to the village, as this is part of the work it does in Fiji in its effects to turn the tide on diabetes. By working together, we can achieve more.”

Aleksandra Ewing, ADRA Australia senior fundraising manager, who was part of the group, emphasized the impact of the hands-on experience: “The highlight of the trip was the opportunity to work alongside the local community, learn about their lives and their culture, and see firsthand the impact that the ADRA project has made in their lives.”

Ewing added that the experience was enriched by a visit to a local farm: “It was truly moving to see the pride in a local farmer’s eyes about what he had been able to achieve thanks to the knowledge gained from ADRA.”

Participants for this initiative were selected through the Spirit of Sanitarium Awards (SOSA), an internal awards program that provides opportunities to recognize outstanding employees who reflect the philosophy and values of the Sanitarium Group.

Since the program’s inception in 2003, SOSA has had close to 7,800 nominations submitted, 235 recipients recognized, and more than AU$1.16 million (approx. US$740,000) donated to charity on behalf of recipients and through Sanitarium’s community project program.

Through a longstanding partnership with ADRA, Sanitarium donates products to several ADRA food pantries across Australia, collaborates in delivering community projects in the South Pacific and Asia, and teams up with ADRA in responding to emergencies and disasters in Australia, New Zealand, and around the South Pacific.

“Like ADRA, one of our key values is to ‘serve others’,” said Bruna Tawake, manager of Community Partnerships and Communications at Sanitarium. “We value ADRA’s community development approach that’s built on careful assessment of community needs, collaboration with communities, and giving communities a hand-up, not just a hand-out. Partnering with ADRA for this project and this service trip is another example of an ongoing, valued partnership between Sanitarium and ADRA.”

The original version of this story was posted on the Adventist Record website.