When Vai’uli was just 17 years old he was on the beach at his home island of Niua in the Kingdom of Tonga when he lost feeling in his legs. It took him and his parents three days to reach…
The Solomon Islands are one of the top 12 countries in the world for diabetes prevalence, presenting a huge threat to the health of all Solomon Islanders. When properly managed, people with diabetes can live long and healthy lives, however…
First of all we hope you are all staying safe during these challenging and unprecedented times! It has obviously been a tough time for a lot of businesses and organisations including our own. However, our focus as always remains on…
1. How did you find out about volunteering with Motivation Australia? Motivation Australia came onto my radar after my previous program director sent me an advertisement regarding a job opportunity for which I applied. I am very grateful for this…
The Motivation Australia training team have been back in Tonga over the past two weeks, with Lauren, Ray and Daniel conducting intermediate wheelchair services training with the rehabilitation department staff and one member of staff from Mango Tree Respite Centre…
Priyansha Chand is extremely passionate about her role as Physiotherapist and working with children at Frank Hilton Organisation in Suva, Fiji. Priyansha trained at Fiji National University, completed her Bachelors in Physiotherapy in 2014. A hard-working young woman, she started…
In early February MA’s Lee Brentnall visited the team at the Tonga Rehabilitation Department. It was an exciting visit as the building has now been opened for eight months, the team are all settled in and services are up and…
Name: Sylvina Reddy Age: 30 Current role: Paediatric Physiotherapist at Frank Hilton Organisation, Fiji. Sylvina Reddy graduated as a Physiotherapist in 2009 from Fiji School of Medicine. From 2010 to 2016 she worked with the Ministry of Health at the…
Daniel and Lauren were in Suva, Fiji for part one of the Training of Trainers (ToT) course from the 25th to 29th of November. The ToT course assembles participants from Fiji (4 participants), the Solomon Islands (2) and Vanuatu (3)…
Building a skilled and knowledgable workforce is essential to increasing access to appropriate, local wheelchair services in the Pacific Region. Over the past 10 years, much of that training has been completed by international organisations, such as Motivation Australia, through a…
Resolution WHA71.8 – Improving access to assistive technology calls upon WHO to prepare a global report on access to assistive technology by 2021. This Global Report is intended to highlight the current status of AT, as well as good practices…
We are excited to share that Martha Schaumkel is on her way to Bangalore, India to study to become the first female Tongan Prosthetist/Orthotist .She follows in the footsteps of her Mother, Salote, who paved the way for female scholars…
Name: Sazmin Nisha Age: 30 Current role: Physiotherapy Program Coordinator and Community Rehabilitation Assistant at Frank Hilton Organisation (FHO) From our very first meeting, it is obvious that Sazmin, referred to as Nisha, is a dedicated, passionate individual. Nisha is…
Charlie is a musician from Ngalitatai in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Motivation Australia was really pleased to visit him at home, at the end of 2018. As a teenager, Charlie had an accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury and…
Mr Albert Kaiapam is the Principal Physiotherapist at the Ministry of Health in Vanuatu. He has oversight of the Physiotherapy Department at both Vila Central Hospital (VCH), the country’s main referral hospital, and Northern Provincial Hospital (NPH), the second largest…
Two long standing members of Motivation Australia, Wendy and Daryl Teague met fourteen year old Jack whilst visiting Kompiam last month. Jack had received a spinal cord injury after a tree fell on him. After his accident he had been provided…
On Friday 14th June 2019, Honourable Dr Saia Maú Piukala, Minister for Health & Public Enterprises and Ms Rhona Mcphee Deputy Australian High Commissioner officially opened the rehabilitation department at Vaiola Hospital. The completion of the renovation of the former…
In May, Motivation Australia’s Katrina McGrath spent some time in Papua New Guinea with the National Orthotic Prosthetic Services (NOPS). During this in country visit Katrina followed up on a number of project activities and provided mentoring and continuing professional…
Motivation Australia is grateful to have the support of many knowledgeable and experienced volunteers from a range of disciplines and countries. Recently one of our amazing volunteers, Debbie Wilson from Seating to Go, New Zealand traveled to Solomon Islands to…
In February Motivation Australia’s Katrina McGrath spent some time in the Solomon Islands where she worked with the Prosthetic and Orthotic graduates recently returned from Mobility India and Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) personnel. Katrina spent time with Lower Limb Prosthetist…
