I am passionate about helping others through fitness and promoting health awareness in the Nauruan communities, as I’ve always been into sports and fitness. My dream is to create a future where the next generation can live healthy lifestyles in peace through physical activity.
Nauru is a tiny island country in Micronesia with coral reefs and white beaches fringed with coconut trees. Phosphate has been mined on the island since 1907 and has been Nauru’s primary resource and sole export for decades. The problem is that after the phosphate has been mined, the soil is left with fewer nutrients, making it very difficult to grow vegetables locally. As a result, most food is imported from overseas, with processed foods, cheaper than vegetables, consumed by low-income families. People who are forced to eat unhealthy diets are now suffering from obesity, poor health, developmental risks, poor academic performance, and behavioral and emotional problems.
When I go traveling around the world, people in different countries ask me where I’m from, and when I respond with Nauru, they are clueless as to where it is. So, they search online, and the first thing that pops up is that we have the highest obesity rate in the world. I strongly felt that we should do something about this problem, which most Nauruan people are oblivious to.
This issue inspired me to start Pleasant Island Health and Fitness, a program that helps locals in Nauru live a healthier lifestyle for free. Engaging in physical activity often is easier and motivating for people when they interact with others in groups, supporting each other. I have received positive feedback from clients that the fitness program has helped them to become more active in their daily life and has given them a boost of self-confidence. In terms of health, they have dramatically improved problems like high blood pressure and obesity, overall feeling happier and healthier, mentally and physically.
Engaging people through fitness creates an awareness of the benefits of healthy living. I would like to encourage them to practice cultivating their own produce through gardening and agriculture. This will not only support the local economy but will also regulate cash flow within Nauru. I aspire to make the people of Nauru role models of a happy and healthy lifestyle through regular exercise and nutritious dieting habits.