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Alusio’s story

Serving others first is Alusio’s motto in life.

48-year-old Alusio takes every day and the surprises that come along with it with a smile. He believes everything in life is possible if you put your heart and soul in it.

Sio, as he is called by his work mates, is a senior carpenter for Habitat for Humanity Fiji. Known for his energetic and jovial personality, Sio loves his job because it allows him to do what he believes in.

“Apart from getting to travel all around Fiji, I like helping the needy and vulnerable families and that is exactly what Habitat does. Rebuilding homes for families, sharing construction knowledge and build back safer techniques after Cyclone Winston is a very satisfying profession. I love working for Habitat for Humanity because of its values and nature of work. It personally makes me a better person at the end of the day and I learn something new every day,” said Sio.

A former village headman, Sio joined Habitat for Humanity Fiji in 2010 as a volunteer after Cyclone Tomas.

“I began enjoying working for Habitat as it built onto my existing knowledge and skills. I learnt how to build strong houses and slowly turned into a carpenter and trainer at Habitat,” said Sio.



Sio is involved in implementing Habitat Fiji’s rehabilitation program post Severe Cyclone Winston throughout the country through the “Build Back Safer” program which trains community members of safe construction methods.

“I enjoy teaching my participants during our Build Back Safer program and it is so good to see the communitycome up with a lot of questions. There are also female participants in the group and this is something we have been encouraging a lot. It feels good to share knowledge and to be able to do something proactive to help communities in need.

“We thank our donors as their support enabled us to reach out to many desperate communities,” said Sio who recently returned training community members in a remote area.

“We have also noticed that through this rehabilitation effort, people feel motivated and inspired to actually move on in life. They feel that, yes something is happening and it mentally prepares them to start picking up the pieces to make a fresh start,” he said.

As a Build back Safer Trainer, he feels the love and support from the community is also a great boost for his team on-site.

Because of his work commitment and passion for his job, Sio is often away from his family for months.

“But that’s OK because what we do in providing a shelter and training people ensures that families are together at the end of the day. It personally satisfies me and my team at Habitat. We have a lot of work left and we are looking forward to complete all our projects. We not only believe in building shelter, but we also build strength, stability and self-reliance,” he said with pride.

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