Helping hands

What feels better than a holiday in paradise? Volunteer work in the remote Yasawa Islands not only soothes the soul, it puts our "first world" problems into perspective.

"In exchange for opening up to tourists, villages in the remote Yasawa Islands are getting education, labour and help protecting their environment.

The clear water, colourful coral and simple beach life may look like idyllic, but the locals struggle with shortages of clean drinking water, health and education services and the sustainability of their eco-system.

The children at the primary school in Soso Village, Naviti Island​ - and, as I've just discovered, their parents and siblings too - are among those benefiting from the programme. The programme has seen its students go from significantly below national average in literacy to leading the way in test results among their peers.


Tema Savu is a former teacher who was asked to come out of retirement to lead the local education program. She is the mother-figure to the volunteers who come from around the world to work with the kids. Tears well up in her eyes ad she takes a moment to get her voice under control before she tells me about them. "I get quite emotional when I think about this. I'm just touched we have some amazing young people taking part in the programme."

One is a Brit, Sarah Ashton. This remote Pacific island is physically and culturally a long way from her home city of Manchester. she first came for a week about 18 months ago and kept returning. "I've done all three programmes," she tells me. "Education, sustainable community and marine conservation."

The village is below world standards of health and poverty and Sarah was initially shocked by the lack of resources. "A lot of the teaching is done on basic blackboards," she says. "Some of the kids didn't even have pens or pencils."

The experience had such an impact on Sarah that when she returned home to the UK last year, she worked through her church to raise enough money to buy pencil cases for four classrooms.

Vinaka Fiji volunteers have clocked up more than 20,000 hours teaching groups or providing one to one teaching to locals of all ages from youngsters to adults. The results speak for themselves. Yasawa High School has gone from one of the most under-performing schools in Fiji to see a pass rate of 71 per cent in form 7 last year.

Tema Savu is working with primary-aged children and is thrilled with their progress. She tells me of one particular child who didn't know the alphabet or the sounds the letters made. "The other day she read a book - The Three Pigs. I had to stop myself from jumping up and hugging her. But she knew. She was happy."

Writer: Debbie Griffiths
Source: New Zealand Herald Travel Supplement - June 28, 2016

How You Can Help after Cyclone Winston

Soon after Tropical Cyclone Winston struck Fiji, the Vinaka Fiji team began seeking assistance to help the villages in the Yasawa Islands. Vinaka Fiji's Operations Manager, Elle Nimacere, is calling out to people with building skills who can help rebuild these communities. Also required are water purifiers, mosquitoe outdoor spray tanks with chemicals, food crop seedlings, school bags, shoes, books, basic food items, cooking equipments, small solar lamps, clothes and bedding. Together we can rebuild these communities.

Photo: Richard Moore/Moore Media Services

Peter Duncan emphasised that the Yasawa villages, even without the devastation caused by a cyclone, are very pared back communities relying mostly on fishing and root crops. 

"Once their buildings are gone, there are hundreds of people that don’t have access to adequate shelter, fresh water is limited and obviously the food supply chain has also been disrupted. These are the basic things that we are trying to address at the moment through Vinaka Fiji." 

Vinaka Fiji needs your help, particularly with donations and building skills, to help these remote communities overcome the devastation and rebuild their homes, schools, villages and lives. 

In just a week since Vinaka Fiji launched its cyclone relief fund generous people have given $16,269.00. More, much more, is needed. 

If you would like to help make a difference please visit www.vinakafiji.org.fj. 

All funds raised will be spent directly in assisting the villages in the Yasawas to recover as Vinaka Fiji staff and administration costs are covered by South Seas Cruises Limited.

Vinaka Fiji's Help after Cyclone Winston

Vinaka Fiji Volunteering is working on providing assistance to the villages in the Yasawas after Tropical Cyclone Winston hit the Fiji Islands with winds of 300km/h. 

Many villages throughout the Yasawa chain of islands have sustained very considerable damage. In some only a couple of houses remain as most of the buildings have been destroyed or blown away by the cyclone. Food crops have also been wiped out.

"Cyclone Winston destroyed the Yasawa High School in Muaira on Naviti Island. While the winds ripped the roof and walls away, the children's desks and seats remained standing," reports photojournalist Richard Moore, who is travelling in the Yasawas under the auspices of the Vinaka Fiji Charitable Trust.

Vinaka Fiji's Operations Manager, Eleona Nimacere, said an estimated 2,000 villagers on Naviti Island have very limited food as a result of their crops being destroyed. “They are now preserving food in the traditional way. That is grating of kasava so they can cook it in leaves. That helps it last a long time. They are also drying out fish," she said.

CEO of Awesome Adventures Fiji and South Seas Cruises, Peter Duncan said "We are harnessing the support of passengers that are travelling with us in the islands to help with the distribution of aid throughout the communities. We are asking those passengers if they would like to get involved in helping to clean in villages close to the resorts they’re staying in.”

He said the response had been heartening with many holidaymakers willing help out to get the lives of the villagers back to some form of normality.

Ms Nimacere is currently on the ground facilitating distribution of much needed basic food supplies and tarpaulins and collecting data to assess ways in rebuilding the communities. 

She is assisted by the local Vinaka Fiji team and volunteers from abroad that are already in Fiji with Vinaka Fiji's volunteering programmes that work in the areas of education, building sustainable communities and marine conservation. 

Instead of working in these programmes, the volunteers are helping distribute food stuffs such as rice, sugar, flour and tinned fish, as well as tarpaulins.

Awesome Adventures Fiji and Blue Lagoon Cruises donated these supplies and shipped them from Port Denarau to the Yasawas aboard company vessels, including the Yasawa Flyer resort connection vessel and the boutique cruise ship, Fiji Princess.

Peter Duncan emphasised that the Yasawa villages even without the devastation caused by of a cyclone are very pared back communities relying mostly on fishing and root crops. 

"Once their buildings are gone, there are hundreds of people that don’t have access to adequate shelter, there’s limitations of water and obviously their food supply chain has also been disrupted. These are the basic things that we are trying to address at the moment through Vinaka Fiji." 

Vinaka Fiji needs your help, particularly with donations and building skills, to help these remote communities overcome the devastation and rebuild their homes, schools, villages and lives. In just a week since Vinaka Fiji launched its cyclone relief fund generous donors have given $16,269.00. More, much more, is needed. 

If you would like to make – and help to make a difference - please visit www.vinakafiji.org.fj. 

All funds raised will be spent directly in assisting the villages in the Yasawas to recover as Vinaka Fiji staff and administration costs are covered by South Seas Cruises Limited.

Photos supplied by Richard Moore/Moore Media Services, Hannah D. and Sanjeshni N.