Our organization in Fiji mostly concentrates on bringing educational materials to poor village schools, and clothes to victims of cyclones & flooding. However, we also try to bring help to individual people & families that God brings across our paths & such is the case with Sanjiv Kapoor.

Sanjiv is a bright young man of 21 years of age, who was brought up in one of Fiji’s many settlements. (Settlements are basically shanty towns or squatter camps that have been built illegally out of wood & tin sheets on low-lying land & that are home to many of the nation’s poor. Some, like Sanjiv’s dwelling, are more established & have water & electricity, while others are simple shacks that become surrounded by seawater at high tide!)

Sanjiv studied & joined a construction company, gaining a small income through helping to carry out general house repairs. It was while carrying out a roof repair that he fell & injured his spine. Despite several months of hospitalisation & rehabilitation, Sanjiv did not regain the use of his lower limbs & has therefore remained in a wheelchair.

bringing 2 donated wheelchairs to Sanjiv's settlement dwelling

Unlike in other countries, Sanjiv’s construction company didn’t provide him with any insurance cover & although there is an ongoing court case to try to obtain some compensation, up till now there has been no help whatsoever from his ex-company.

One might expect that someone in Sanjiv’s position might give up on life & become a vegetable? However, Sanjiv has other plans! Still very much full of life, he decided to raise funds to visit India for specialised medical treatment that may help him to walk again. He printed 50,000 lottery tickets that he & his family & friends intend to sell for $1 each in order to cover the transport & medical costs involved in this ambitious plan!
The lottery itself will take place in September & already several companies have agreed to donate prizes. However raising $50,000 from a small settlement dwelling is not an easy task & so we’re publicising Sanjiv’s story far & wide in an effort to help his cause. We also took the story to the Fiji Times newspaper & were pleased that they responded by publishing an article called ‘Life of hope’

Can you help Sanjiv to reach his dream of walking again?
Donations can be sent to Sanjiv Kapoor, account number 9802352162,
Westpac bank, Suva, Fiji swift code: wpacfjfx

recent photo of one of our regular visits to see Sanjiv