Volunteering Projects in the Fiji Islands with Think Pacific

I travelled to Fiji with Think Pacific in Sept 2015, having finished Uni and wanting to see a bit more of the world.

My aim was simple. To have fun, whilst experiencing a different culture and giving a little something back. With ThinkPacific all this was achieved and so much more!
My 3 month project on Koro Island was the best 3 months of my life. The joy and laughter i experienced was probably something i’ll never get on that scale again.

Working along side Fijian teachers and students was incredible. From sharing knowledge from our different cultures, teaching sports in a structured manner, to toothbrush time in kindi. Every moment in school was something to treasure. I learnt so so much and like to think the kids learnt something from me too.

Evening time would be spent with the families that hosted us or as a community as a whole. Learning to weave baskets or maybe a few bilo’s of cava was again an incredible experience.

I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. All lead by leaders that are driven by making a lasting difference on the communities ThinkPacific visits. I cannot recommend ThinkPacific enough. You wouldn’t regret it!!

By far one of the best experience Iv'e had and something I'll remember for a lifetime. Have far to many favourite memories of the trip but one of my favourite memories has to be meeting 2 members of the Fiji 7's rugby team who won gold at Rio 2016. Enjoyed every minute of it from living with my Fijian family, teaching and sports coaching in the local school, being part of their community and exploring the islands of Fiji. Would definitely do it all over again.

Think Pacific are doing phenomenal things in Fiji and seeing it firsthand was an incredible opportunity. There is a familial feel, be it with the leaders or project managers, I felt known within the think pacific community and that attentive care certainly made the project stand out. What set this project aside from other opportunities was the chance to live in the community. Returning to a family and being welcomed into a village, given brothers and sisters. That's what would stay with you forever!

last summer I was part of the most incredible experience with Think Pacific, a foundation set up to improve education, sports, and sanitation in Fiji. Myself and others from various universities spent three weeks teaching English and organising sports and youth activities in two schools. Each day we were faced with children who were eager to learn, whether that was English, Maths, Science, or the sports, drama, singing, public speaking in our daily House Cup events. Whilst we were there we had children's parents calling up to tell us that their child had started reading at home, we watched the children start to recognise the letters of the alphabet and numbers and we had the teachers praise and gratitude for the much needed help and resources we all fundraised for.

Each one of us stayed with a different family from a little riverside village called Mavua who not only accepted us into their homes but also made us a part of their family and community. It was in this village that we learnt the true meaning of family and community; we learnt traditional Fijian customs; we learnt how to live alongside pigs, chickens, horses, cows, and mongoose (literally- we had a chicken living in our house and a mongoose in our room); we learnt the true meaning of Fiji time (nothing ever being on time); we experienced what it was like to wash in a river day in and day out (we experienced some incredible sunsets whilst bathing); we learnt to live life without social media and phone signal; we learnt to appreciate little things like tables and chairs, knives and forks, and mostly for me - coffee and milk.

Volunteering with think Pacific was an amazing experience and I will be coming away from it with a new set of friends and family.

I had a truly amazing time volunteering for Think Pacific in Fiji. The full experience was truly amazing. From the moment I arrived until the moment I left the support from the staff was always there. The Fijian people are lovely and the sense of helping out the community of Nacavanadi on Gau island is superb. I loved it every moment and it opened my eyes seen how happy these people are with much less than we have. The experience changed me for the better. Vinaka Vaka Levu Think Pacific.

I spent 1 month in Fiji last summer, living in a small village community with 20 other volunteers. We taught English + Maths, and coached sport with children from around age 5-15.

Think Pacific was an incredible experience: the sense of purpose you get from teaching and educating children, the feeling of being included in the families you live in and the sheer enjoyment of playing sport and living immersively in a wholly different community.

The memories I have from this trip still resonate with me - from catching fish to eat for our dinner, to meeting an Olympics rugby gold medalist who just happened to pop into our village.

Exciting, immersive, challenging and rewarding - Think Pacific is a fantastic opportunity and a great experience!

In 2017 I made the out of my comfort zone decision to apply to volunteer for Think Pacific, and it was without doubt the best decision I have ever made!
Was I scared? Absolutely, but for every worry I may have had TP were able to help me through it all providing every piece of information I could possibly need! Travelling to Fiji was amazing and experiencing their culture was such a privilege. Being taught the customs by the Think Pacific group leaders and going into different situations in Fiji were you knew how to behave and be courteous when other visitors didn’t was something to be very proud of.
The education system in Fiji is so different, however somewhere where I have learnt lessons for life. The children who have next to nothing have such an enjoyment for life and are so excited to learn anything and everything from you!! It was an honour to have been able to aid them in their learning and a privilege for me to have learnt from them.
I couldn’t recommend this experience enough and is something I am SO pleased I have done and am able to share my stories! A favourite experience was arriving at a small village to deliver a sports outreach day and learning that we must swim through a river to get to the school from the village, a crazy thought that these beaming little ones do it everyday!!! Amazing!!!!!

Think Pacific has provided me with an incredible, once in a lifetime experience that will stay with me forever.
If you are thinking you want to go volunteer in another country, I can't recommend Think Pacific enough! It may be expensive compared to some programmes but it is worth every penny and you can see where you money goes (something I have seen doesn't happen with other organisations).
From the moment I booked, Tom and the UK team were incredibly helpful at answering all of my questions and queries.
I hadn't done anything like it before I went and was quite nervous, but I was looked after from the moment I landed by my team leader and taken to meet the rest of my team. This seemed quite nerve wracking as I only knew one girl with me but everyone was in the same boat and after playing volleyball and tag we all soon became friends. Whilst we were at the resort, we were also given help with how to plan lessons and teach sport (something that I was apprehensive about before I went). This was a great couple of days and prepared us for going into the village.
When you are in the village you are in pairs and live with a family so you have a Fijian mum and dad and brothers and sisters. I was nervous about this, but my family was unbelievably welcoming and kind. It is a bond that will stay with me forever. My 'sister' who was on the project with me became my best friend and we bonded insanely fast. The experience wouldn't have been the same if I wasn't staying in a family with my 'sister'.
After settling in, we went for our first day at the school. The day is set up so that you have briefing in the morning by your leaders and then head into school. On the Sunday before, you will have decided which class you are going into. At the school you normally do 1 to 1 teaching with the pupils who are struggling. This was incredibly rewarding watching them grow with just a little help. Watching the kids develop was my most valued memory of the project.
In the afternoons you do House Cup which is art, dance, public speaking, singing etc. and is a lot of fun but quite competitive! It was great seeing the kids thrive in activities they hadn't done before.
After you teach sport. This was part of the reason I chose to came so it was really great watching the kids get excited about different sports. I chose to teach netball whilst I was out there as it is a sport, I loved as a kid and knew the most about. It was amazing how much the girls improved in just a few weeks from some simple drills such as footwork or passing drills. We were lucky enough to have a competition in our last week so we got to watch the girls win games at the end which was amazing!
I was unfortunate enough to break my foot on my first day in the village! However, with the help of my team I was able to continue the project and do almost everything they did. At the weekends you go on day trips. My team went hiking, caving, swimming in the river etc. and we also got a family weekend. This was really good fun as my family took my sister and I to the farm and showed us where they grew cassava, paw-paw (papaya) and bananas. The fruit their was so delicious and seeing how long it took for a cassava to grow was amazing!
At the end of your project you get a few days of rest and relaxation at a resort. This was a time to chill out and have a few drinks with your team. I loved this time as it gave us a chance to relax before we all headed home. It also gave us a chance to thank our leaders, who were incredible through every step of the way.
Since coming back from Fiji, I have set up a society at my university for people to book expeditions and help fundraise for the trips and I am also going back out this summer as a leader!
I cannot recommend both Fiji or Think Pacific enough. If you want a truly eye-opening experience with the best people, then book a trip with them.