On September 28, 1984, the government of Fiji officially opened a house on Domain Rd in Suva as a home for four disabled girls. Janet Braithwaite, an executive from the Australian Council for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (ACROD), emphasized the importance of providing proper living conditions for disabled individuals instead of confining them to institutions.
The Fiji Times reported that following Braithwaite’s visit to Fiji in 1983, the four girls were able to live comfortably in the home provided by the government. Each girl had the opportunity to work and earn salaries sufficient to purchase their own food and cover their bills, with ACROD contributing an additional $50 per week to support them. Their financial records were submitted to the ACROD headquarters in Canberra on a monthly basis.
The accommodations were modified to meet the specific needs of the residents, two of whom were polio survivors, one was paraplegic, and the fourth was deaf. Braithwaite noted that the home would be limited to a small number of residents to avoid the pitfalls of institutionalization, stating, “The whole objective is to train these older girls to live in a proper home on their own.” She expressed hope that they would eventually gain the independence to rent their own apartments.
During her visit, Braithwaite also highlighted a bias she observed in government-funded projects favoring males, which prompted her to advocate for housing for the older girls. With support from the National Council for Women and the Fijian government, they secured a house for the girls. “We came back this year to see how the project had worked, and it is pleasing to see them living happily with greater independence,” Braithwaite remarked.
Edith Paul, who accompanied Braithwaite, shared insights about ACROD, established in 1962, which provides disability services across Australia, East Asia, and the Pacific. ACROD includes 300 affiliated associations and receives over $240,000 annually from the Australian Government to support its initiatives, including training teachers and sponsoring disability services in Fiji.