A Journey with A Girl & Her World Through Disaster and Deep Listening in Rural Fiji

From: Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

My previous blog post about Jane Kennedy, the founder of a Girl & her world, highlights the organization’s powerful role in Re-Storying, Re-Patterning, and Restructuring the stories of girls and their families in rural Fiji. There is another powerful resonance between that organization’s work and the work we do at NewStories, which is our shared desire to cultivate community processes that guide regenerative recovery after disasters.

Jane shared profound lessons learned by a Girl & her world in the aftermath of Cyclone Winston:

“After the cyclone in 2016, the girls we supported faced unimaginable challenges, losing homes and belongings. Urmila lost her home. It was unbelievable.

What stood out in this dire situation was the girls' unwavering commitment to education. As the cyclone approached, they safeguarded their uniforms, bags, books, and shoes in plastic bags because that was precious to them. I think this shows the value they place on education and the impact it has on them.”

Upon deeper reflection, Jane emphasized the importance of creating space and engaging in deep listening — a process considered crucial by the NewStories team in rebuilding and regenerating communities after disaster.

“I think first we walked alongside the girls and the community as they shared their pain. It was just about survival; it was about trauma.

This is where listening is critical to supporting the community’s healing and rebuilding process. They can adapt and be agile in ways we may not if we’re not living in that environment or are constantly vulnerable.

We must follow the lead of local coordinators like Urmila, ensuring our efforts are driven by their needs. For example, they didn’t need our secondhand t-shirts or items like we initially thought; they needed other support forms. We were trying to get money to people we knew could reach them, particularly communities in RakiRaki. It was tricky, and we relied on local team members to direct our efforts. We focused on listening, understanding, and responding to their initiatives, fostering genuine collaboration and avoiding pitfalls seen in past experiences in the sector.”

Jane also highlighted the critical role played by the communities' connections and deep relationships in the rebuilding and restructuring processes:

“In the aftermath of the cyclone, various groups came together to rebuild the homes of the girls and their families. On the practical side, you had organizations like Habitat for Humanity go in and help to build. The ethos was clear: rebuild stronger, more resilient, and better. But, I think we and other organizations really didn’t play a huge part in it; we just supported. The credit goes to the communities for their natural ability to bounce back and enhance their capacity for resilience.

Our experience, particularly working with vulnerable Indo-Fijian communities, highlights the inherent strength of Fijian villages in responding to disasters. Rooted in centuries-old practices, Fijians know how to work together, support each other, and recover. Their cultural response is ingrained, and their faith adds another layer of strength.

In contrast, I think because we tend to work with Indo-Fijian communities, I have noticed that they are more vulnerable than Fijian communities. They don’t own land and can't own land. Thus, Indo-Fijian communities lack the same history of place and deep connection to the land; they lack the same natural embedded ways of doing things.

Ultimately, they rely more on interpersonal relationships. For them, it’s about being in community, knowing each other, sharing common spaces, schools, and connections. This makes finding pockets of support crucial during challenging times, as they don't have the same embedded, natural response as Fijian villages. It's a unique dynamic worth exploring and understanding in the context of disaster resilience."

Jane further highlights that aGirl & her world intentionally keeps an awareness and willingness to understand these differences as they navigate working in Indo-Fijian and Fijian communities.

“In Western settings, there are individuals who genuinely want to assist and address needs they perceive. However, they often approach the situation with preconceived notions. It's a fascinating model, and I believe it's crucial to acknowledge and define our role within it. Our responsibility isn't to take charge, lead from the front, or impose our perspectives, as seen in promotional materials.

Instead, it's about providing support to what is already in motion. We've come to realize that this approach is not only healthy but also dependent on pre-existing relationships. I take pride in this realization, not just for the accomplishments of the team in Fiji but also for our contribution to challenging some of the saviorism tendencies ingrained in Western culture. It's a positive shift, and I found it gratifying to explore your own website (newstories.org). Ultimately, it's all about storytelling, meaning-making, and fostering connections and community, which I find truly sublime."

Jane's reflections unveil profound lessons present in the aftermath of disaster, emphasizing the pivotal role of deep listening and the importance of centering communities’ voices and innate wisdom in the healing and rebuilding process. Many of her  insights challenge traditional Western approaches, emphasizing the importance of supporting pre-existing initiatives, fostering genuine collaboration, and acknowledging the diverse cultural dynamics.

A Girl & her world and NewStories intertwine their narratives in cultivating transformative experiences, offering aid and a shared commitment to empowering communities to script their stories of resilience and hope.