Thirteen-year-old Giya Geetanglie Prasad has returned to Fiji after successful specialised eye surgery in India, bringing to a close a months‑long fundraising effort that raised more than $5,000 to cover treatment not available at home. The operation, an amniotic membrane grafting procedure prescribed by doctors at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH), was carried out overseas because the technique is not offered in Fiji’s public health facilities, The Fiji Times reported on March 11.
Giya’s mother, Evlin Ashika Devi, who publicly appealed for help after receiving the CWMH medical assessment, led the family’s campaign to secure funds for the urgent treatment. Her plea, first carried in local media late last year, drew immediate response from community donors in Fiji and abroad. Social media organiser Apisai Caginakana Moce — widely known as Bis Moce — is credited with galvanising contributions that, together with corporate assistance, enabled Giya’s travel and surgery arrangements.
Kontiki Finance provided a decisive contribution to the appeal, stepping in to offset the substantial costs families face when seeking medical care overseas — travel, accommodation and treatment expenses that can quickly become prohibitive. Local letter‑writers and readers singled out Kontiki’s support in recent days, while also pointing to a wider pattern of corporate giving that often favours high‑profile sporting sponsorships over individual humanitarian needs.
The amniotic membrane grafting procedure Giya received is used to repair and regenerate damaged ocular surface tissue and is particularly indicated in cases where conventional treatments cannot restore vision. CWMH doctors had advised that the surgery be performed in India, prompting the fundraising drive to ensure Giya could receive timely care and return to schooling. With the operation completed and her sight restored, her family says she will be able to continue her education in 2026.
Local journalist Rakesh Kumar and The Fiji Times played a central role in keeping Giya’s case in the public eye, publishing the initial $5,000 appeal and tracking the fundraising progress. Community members and donors who followed the story were among those who contributed, according to letters published on March 12 acknowledging the collective effort that made the surgery possible.
Supporters described Giya’s safe return as “a true blessing,” and called for greater attention to humanitarian causes that do not always attract the same corporate publicity as sporting events. For now, the immediate outcome is unmistakable: a young student with renewed vision and the prospect of returning to school next year, and a community that rallied to save a child’s eyesight.
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