Informal Settlements Upgrading and Network Building in Fiji
The following is a record of upgrading work done together by dwellers in informal settlements in Fiji, the PCN (People's Community Network) in Fiji, and ACHR (the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights), alongside network building with local architects, academics and students.
Saturday 25th of September the forum took place at the Sugar Cane Growers Hall in Lautoka. Approximately 150 people attended from 30 of the 33 informal settlements identified in Lautoka. The forum was also attended by three Fijian architects/builders from Suva, local landlords, the Chairman and Councillors of the Advisory Council of the Western Commission, police representatives and staff from the District Office.
The participants shared and compared situations and experiences and began to build a network together. Many of the communities requested that the PCN visit their community and assist them with starting up savings groups and putting together action plans.
The forum has made a good base for the PCN to continue to build the network in Lautoka. It will also be the basis for future discussions about ACCA projects and upgrading.
City-wide forum Photo by Anna
Participants discussing together at the forum Photo by Anna
Sele of Vunato community sitting with the community drawn maps Photo by Anna
Map of Lautoka area with squatter settlements identified, orange for matagali land and green for state land
Photo by Anna
Palau for lunch made by Tomuka community Photo by Anna
It was a busy week in preparation for the Lautoka city-wide forum working with the PCN in visiting settlements, organising sound system, food and stationary ready for the day. There was great support from the communities already involved with the PCN, with members from Navutu helping out in the hall setup, sound system hireage, and many other aspects of the day, while members from Tomuka cooked goat and vegetarian palau for the lunch. Hugo, Heidi and I got maps from the Lands Department of the wider Lautoka area, enlarged them and then printed and put them together as a whole. We identified all the known settlements and what kind of land they're on (by colour, state green and matagali orange), and left space for more details to be added on the day of the forum.
Hugo, Loata and Bui sharpening pencils for the forum participants Photo by Anna
Preparing the map of Lautoka squatter settlements Photo by Anna
Joe from the PCN and I are busy preparing for the Lautoka city-wide meeting of members of squatter settlements, which is planned for Saturday the 25th of September. We visited the Lautoka District Officer today, who is very positive about the role the PCN is playing the city. She's giving support in helping to organise the city hall as a venue which is centrally located for the meeting, and in putting us in touch with community advisers already involved in some of the communities. So Joe and I will spend the rest of this week and the beginning of next week visiting all 31 of Lautoka's identified informal settlements, inviting women and youths as well as men to join the meeting. We've prepared a flier with the venue, time, date and information about the meeting in Fijian and English, and hopefully we'll get it translated into Hindi as well.
While we're doing this, the rest of the PCN, including new volunteers from Navutu, Nasoata, Nasinu and Natabua seaside, are surveying and mapping in Tomuka settlement, where there are more than 500 houses.
Here is the flier we've made to give the details of the meeting to community members:
Lautoka Citywide Forum
Networking and working together on common issues
Saturday 25th September 2010
10am – 3:30pm (lunch included)
Sugar Cane Growers Hall
1st floor, 75 Drasa Avenue, Lautoka
Veisureti raraba vei kemuni nai tabagone, marama keina turaga ena noda vei tikotiko sega ni vakadeitaki se squatter settlement e Lautoka.
Nai Naki ni Forum:
1.Noda veisoli tukutuku ena noda sasaga vata meda walia na veileqa e so
Leqa ni qele
Leqa vakai tikotiko
Veivakatorocaketaki (projects)
Kila e rawa ni vukei keda e noda toso eliu
2.Noda tara cake nai sema kaukauwa ena keda maliwa na veitikotiko (networking). Ka cakacakavata keina vei tokoni ena kena wali na veileqa eso e tarai keda. Sa tu vakarau tu na nomuni soqosoqo ni PCN (People’s Community Network) me da mai tu cake vata ka sotava vata na noda vei dredre se leqa.
Tucake taubale – Tucake ka vosa yani.
Ke so na vakatataro me baleta na forum qo, qai veitaratara mai ena naba ni mobile sa koto oqo era
And the English version:
Lautoka Citywide Forum
Networking and working together on common issues
Saturday 25th September 2010
10am – 3:30pm (lunch included)
Sugar Cane Growers Hall
1st floor, 75 Drasa Avenue, Lautoka
Men, women and youths of Lautoka squatter settlements welcome
Aims:
Share informationabout –
·Land issues
·Problems
·Projects
·Ideas
Build a citywide network –
Work together, support each other, and face issues together
Participatewith the People’s Community Network of Fiji
Tuesday 8th Sept
Today several of the PCN and I joined the Navutu-Nasoata-Nasinu Drain Squad in digging and clearing their drains. It's hard work, but the squad, made up mostly of women from the community, is managing to make it fun with many jokes, and crab and fish catching happening at the same time as the clearing. The men of the community are busy moving rocks to build the seawall.
Drainage squad at work digging and clearing photo by Anna
I'm heading back to Lautoka tomorrow after spending the last week in Suva working on getting in contact with local technical professionals and the Fiji National University. During the time I've been in Suva I've been based at the PCN office, which is near to the new Lagilagi housing development in Jittu Estate (where the ground breaking was last Friday). In fact part of the Lagilagi housing project includes a new PCN office, which will be located within Lagilagi community. Here are a few photos of the present PCN office, and members of the PCN at work.
Salome at work calculating savings, whiteboard showing plans for the week in the background photo by Anna
Pesepa at the front desk, Nancy on the phone photo by Anna
Racieli beside the Lagilagi plans photo by Anna
For the next week and a half until Hugo, Heidi, and hopefully Nad arrive in Fiji I'll be in Lautoka continuing to work with the PCN making connections with dwellers in informal settlements; surveying, mapping and revisiting, and aiming towards a city-wide meeting the weekend of the 18th and 19th of September.
Friday was the much-anticipated ground breaking ceremony for the Lagilagi housing project in Suva. Present were government ministers, PCN members, community members, people involved in the design and planning of the project, and more! It was an important day for the PCN, and the ceremony was a great success, with music and dancing and food following the formalities.
Preparations photo by Anna
Lemeke from the PCN with the ground breaking digger photo by Anna
Today Ana, a PCN member, and I visited Peter Rankin, president of the Fiji Architects Association and director of Aapi Design. We talked with Peter and his keen employees about projects involving architects and communities working together in Asia - I showed examples from Thailand, the Philippines and Laos, we talked about ACHR, city-wide mapping and small scale projects, comprehensive upgradings and architects. Ana and Peter talked about the relationship in Fiji between squatters and the PCN with the government and other local issues.
Peter suggested he send an email to the other members of the Architects Association asking for those who are interested in working with communities on projects to write back, so he can put together a list of architects that the PCN can have to contact when communities need technical assistance and architectural involvement. Ana will email him tomorrow so they are in contact with each other, and he will send the email out to the architects.
