During our first few conferences on Tavarua, SMA members became acquainted with the people of Nabila, a nearby native Fijian village. At the request of the villagers, many of whom worked at the Tavarua resort, SMA physicians and other health-care professionals made several visits to Nabila to assess the needs of this small community and provide some limited medical care.

As would be expected, in a remote, third-world environment, the health-care needs of the village were extensive and complex. What wasn’t expected was the deep rapport and bonding which developed so quickly between the SMA visitors and the people of Nabila. The gracious hospitality of the villagers and their heartfelt appreciation for the care provided by the medical volunteers was expressed in many ways as the SMA members were honored through traditional Fijian ceremonies and feasts.

In turn, the SMA has essentially “adopted” Nabila and, for the last 20 years, has been contributing significantly to the betterment of the health of the entire village. On each trip to Tavarua, conference participants spend time in Nabila, developing and maintaining improvements in the public health infrastructure of the village, supplying the dispensary, training the village health-care workers, and evaluating and treating the many acute and chronic cases presenting at the SMA clinic day.

One highly successful accomplishment has been the establishment of Nabila as a “no-smoking” village. The SMA’s educational efforts on this topic were so persuasive, that the chief placed a total taboo on smoking, which resulted in the entire village quitting this destructive habit and thus greatly reducing the prevalence of several chronic diseases. This success story was later featured on a US television special and the Fijian government is now using the “SMA model” to curb smoking in other villages which, historically, have been heavily targeted by the tobacco industry.

In the mid 1990’s, the SMA extended its humanitarian efforts to Momi, another village with many workers at Tavarua. Interventions that worked well at Nabila were applied at Momi also with similar accomplishments. Not only have both villages benefited but we, in the SMA, have learned so much over the many years of trial and error about how to effectively add value to an existing native health-care system in a culturally sensitive way.

We are currently exploring ways to extend the SMA approach beyond Fiji to other underdeveloped areas impacted by surfing. During our conferences in the Mentawais, we have been partnering with SurfAid International to evolve malaria control procedures that are effective for the indigenous people. We have been invited by the government of the Maldives to assist them in improving mental health and ER care in these atolls. Anyone interested in contributing to our village project efforts in any area is encouraged to join the SMA and give something back on their next surf trip.