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The J P Bayly Trust is a charitable non-profit organisation created
to assist under-privileged citizens of Fiji. It was incorporated as a Charitable
Trust on 30th July 1954. It has now been in existence for 55 years.
The Trust was established to fulfill the wishes of its benefactor, John Percy Bayly. He sought to make medical and welfare provisions for the poorest members
of Fiji’s society and to enable their children to receive an education.
The Trust owned two fairly large rural estates in the Sigatoka
Valley and Ra. These freehold estates were formally sub-divided in 1991 and
leased to farming tenants from whom annual rentals were received. In 2000,
the Trustees of the JP Bayly Trust passed a resolution to dispose of the
land to the existing farmers and if they were unable to or not interested in
purchasing their leases, these were then offered to the general public for
sale.
The income generated from the sale of land, rentals from rural and urban
tenants, interest earned and dividends received from local and overseas
investments and donations is used for providing assistance to the less
fortunate, usually in the form of subsistence rations and clothing, medical
help and the supply of books and stationery to enable the younger members of
these families to attend school.The Trust operates The Bayly Medical Clinics in Suva and
Lautoka. As of 1st July 2003 the doctors and dentists in these clinics pay a
subsidised rental. A mandatory requirement of the lease between the Trust and
the doctors and dentists is to charge low wage earners consultation fees well
below the scale fees of General Practitioners elsewhere. Over the years, the
Trust has maintained and upgraded the Clinic’s medical equipment and purchased
additional equipment to further improve health care services. The doctors and
dentists give free consultations to those registered under the Welfare, whilst
the Trust pays the prescription fees.
The Bayly Education
Fund's aim is to counter poverty by ensuring young people receive a basic
education and an Education officer is based in Suva, Lautoka and Labasa. The Trustees recognize a good education is one
of the best weapons to counter poverty. From 2002 Bayly Education has
assisted approximately 500 children by paying school fees and providing books,
etc to children who would otherwise be unable to afford them. (In previous years,
Save the Children administered these funds for Bayly Education).
The Bayly Welfare operates from three centres in Suva,
Lautoka and Labasa. A paid Almoner runs each centre assisted by a number of
part-time employees and a team of selfless volunteers. Bayly Welfare assists
over 1,000 needy families throughout the year over the past 55 years by way of cash grants to enable
the Almoners and their teams to provide basic food items, clothing, medical
attention including free medical consultations and prescription drugs to be
distributed to the less fortunate on a regular basis.
Over the years, the Trust has approved grants to various youth, sporting and charitable
organisations. In total, the JP Bayly Trust has distributed over three million
dollars over the last 10 years.
The demand on available resources continues to grow and an increasing
number of persons in genuine need, turn to the Trust for help. However, limited
funds preclude the Trust from reaching out to help them - numbers are growing
alarmingly as more and more families slip below the poverty line.
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