Bula! I’m Sarah, a 3rd year law student at the University of Southampton. This summer I had the pleasure of going to Fiji with Think Pacific on a 4-week youth empowerment volunteering project.
After arriving in Fiji, following a 2-day briefing in Sigatoka, myself and the rest of the volunteers headed into Nasirotu village in the rainforest which would be our home for the next 3 weeks. Upon arrival we had our sevusevu which is a welcoming ceremony, before being introduced to our families who we would live with throughout the project.
The project consisted of morning workshops and afternoon culture courses. In the morning workshops we worked with the Fijian youth who were aged 16-35 to deliver sessions together on public health, mental health, environment and climate, sport, leadership and business and enterprise. My group delivered workshops on mental health and business and enterprise. The workshops consisted of fun energisers to get us started and then a range of activities to stimulate discussions on the various topics such as creative tasks, mind maps, presenting and acting. I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the workshops and the opportunity it provided to bond with the Fijian youth.
The afternoon culture courses were delivered by 5 chosen individuals from the village and aimed to teach us about different elements of their culture. Some of the topics included fishing, farming, learning the meke, weaving and religion. It was an incredible opportunity to learn first-hand about Fijian culture and to have the opportunity to get involved and learn the skills ourselves. My favourite culture course was lovo, which is a method of cooking food underground. The volunteers and the youth all prepared the food together and then we ate as a village in the village hall.
When we weren’t in workshops or culture course, we were swimming in the river, visiting waterfalls, playing sports and cards and spending time with our families. The culture in Fiji is something very special as everyone was so welcoming and would always invite you into their houses for tea.
I learnt so much during my time in Nasirotu and built lifelong relationships with the villagers. Overall it was an incredible opportunity for personal growth and I would highly recommend the project to anyone interested. I hope to return to Fiji and Nasirotu village in the future.