Help me volunteer in Fiji

Hi everyone,

I am participating in a volunteer program in Fiji through Global Volunteer Network. GVN is a non-governmental organization which places people in a range of opportunities such as teaching or environmental work in a number of countries. I will be working with a local organization in Fiji, called Global Vision International, for 4 weeks starting in January 2015.

In order to volunteer I will be using my personal savings and I have been working hard to raise the funds needed to take up this opportunity to help others. If you are able to help support me financially in some way it would be greatly appreciated. I have been unemployed on and off over the past couple of months. 

My program fee to volunteer in the Fiji program for 4 weeks is $3,015.90. In addition to this, I need to pay for my airfares, entry visa, vaccinations, gear to take with me and insurance. As you can see, volunteering does come at a cost. I would appreciate any donations you can give to enable me to be able to meet the rest of the costs and take on the challenge of helping others in less fortunate circumstances than ourselves.

While volunteering in Fiji I will be a member of a community expedition team involved in a diverse variety of initiatives involving such themes as fresh water management, education enrichment, environmental monitoring and mapping, income generation, waste management, health awareness, women’s empowerment and sustainable agriculture practice.

During the education portion of my placement I will be volunteering at Navunisea District Primary School (145 students - ages 5-15) in Silana, a small fishing village in the remote Dawasamu District of Tailevu Province. As a volunteer I will be involved in assisting local teachers across all subjects, as well as supervising and interacting with the children.The education the children receive is often very generic and fails to provide them with a sufficient understanding of the curriculum. In addition to this there is an inequality between the quality of teaching and resources available from one school to the next. By providing support to the teachers and educational resources that would otherwise be unavailable GVN strives to enrich the education provided and broaden the opportunities for pupils in the future. My role will be to help the over-worked teachers and enrich the educational experience that the children have at school. Classes are taught in English, however, because most students do not speak English at home and the area is remote and not frequently visited by tourists, many of the children lack confidence when speaking English. Through classroom assistance, additional educational resources and increased exposure to English speakers GVN aims to improve the confidence of pupils at NDPS and in doing so broaden their opportunities in the future.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the program. I would like to take this time to thank you for considering helping me in this worthy cause. Your financial aid will enable me to participate in an experience which helps communities in need.

Many thanks,

Gemma Burgess