tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48193482504880010582024-03-14T02:13:06.607-07:00GVI Marine Conservation and Community Development Program FijiWelcome to GVI Fiji's Community Development Programme blog. Here you can keep up to date with our projects in Fiji.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12398472209765445922noreply@blogger.comBlogger205125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-30181122643190092802014-01-05T21:54:00.000-08:002014-01-05T21:57:47.411-08:00Thank you and Happy New Year!<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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Out here in the islands, GVI Fiji has had an extremely
productive and challenging 2013. We would like to thank all the volunteers,
staff members, communities, partners, organisations, and government agencies
that made our achievements last year possible.</div>
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<b>Here are some of our highlights from 2013:</b></div>
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<i>Volunteers fundraise,distribute food aid, and carry out
repairs to infrastructure in the aftermath of Cyclone Evan in the
northern Yasawas</i></div>
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<i>GVI Fiji is
incorporated as a Fiji Non-profit organization</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>MOU
with the Fiji Ministry of Youth and Sports signed</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>MWH Water Project adds over 55,000 litres of new capacity
across 5 villages and adds over 130,000 litres of water capacity through
efficiency and system repairs.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Over 500,000 Litres of Rainwater Collection Capacity
Added since program launch in 2011</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>GVI Licence to Assist in Fiji Schools Approved</i></div>
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<i>Launch of
Education Enrichment and Community support program in Silana Village</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>GVI becomes a
member of FLMMA</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>GVI joins
FLMMA Executive Committee</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>MOU signed
with Silana Youth Group</i></div>
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<i>Development of
Babale base</i></div>
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<i>Tabu areas of the Northern Yasawa's mapped in GIS</i></div>
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<i>Marine Conservation National Scholarship program launched</i></div>
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<i>Launch of
Waste Management Village Initiative in Silana</i></div>
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<i>28 Fish
Wardens Trained</i></div>
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<i>330,000 hours
of student contact time logged</i></div>
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<i>Further
development of the GVI Education Enrichment 1-on-1 program in partner schools
yields impressive results in student performance</i></div>
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<i>School Teacher
Professional Development initiatives launched</i></div>
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<i>Income
generation and upcycling training and facilitation integrated into community
programs</i></div>
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<i>Nacula Yaubula
Management Committee formed</i></div>
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<i>Composting
Toilets built at RMMS School</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Baseline biodiversity and reef health surveys carried out
across 10 different village fishing grounds</i></div>
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<i>Launch of the Honor Fiji Journey </i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Over 1590 hours of computer literacy education provided
in schools</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Four phases of Spinner dolphin research completed in
partnership with WDC</i></div>
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<i>Introduction of Chicken Coops project in Silana Village</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Over $30,000 Fijian Dollars raised by the GVI Fiji
Charitable Trust</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thank you for your ongoing support and for making 2013
what it was!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 2014 we will be launching a new blog platform which will be announced shortly, so we can continue to keep you up to date with our Fiji Programs</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy New year!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>GVI Fiji</i></span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-53937523002339847482013-11-16T23:19:00.001-08:002013-11-16T23:19:30.426-08:00Rescue, Water Tanks and Goodbyes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This week has been a
week of screaming, drowning, dragging and fun during the practical side of the
rescue diver course. The Marine team interns had to act out different scenarios
and see who you want to be your rescuer when you’re really in trouble, and who
you want to stay away! The rest of the Marine team have been busy surveying the
Matacawa Levu dive sites, carrying out their LIT and IBT surveys for us to feed
back to the village. It’s also been a busy week for fish identifications,
learning all 63 species on GVI’s targeted list has caused a lot of hair to be
pulled out, but everyone’s getting there and progressing surprisingly well with
the underwater point outs! The team also got to dive Cathedral causing massive
excitement with the promise of seeing white tips, black tips, silvertips, eels,
rays, and lemon sharks. And we weren’t disappointed; the abundance of sharks
was a great end to some of the volunteer’s final days on base. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The construction team
has had a productive week of installing rainwater harvesting systems Nacula
village and getting very well fed by the locals, much to the envy of the other
projects! All in all a great week on base, yet more beautiful sunsets with
clear skies, calm waters (ish) and a great team to share it with. However, it
has also been a sad week, with many of the longer term volunteer’s leaving,
they will be missed but they should be proud of the great work they’ve achieved
in the past months.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-16933895829032963942013-11-11T14:14:00.000-08:002013-11-11T14:14:05.776-08:00Half Way Point for Marine Interns<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is the start
of the seventh week of my marine internship and as divers and researchers we
have all come a long way. Not only can we identify an array of Benthic life forms
and invertebrates, we have now also been taught to survey them through roving
diver invertebrate surveys (if you see an invertebrate, you record it) and line
intercept transects, which involve laying down 10m of tape measure and
recording the different benthic life forms found underneath. Every week
that we dive there is always something new to see. This week we have seen
Humphead Wrasse, Nurse Sharks, Bumphead Parrotfish and a load of cool Nudi Branchs
that we've never spotted before. We will also be starting our rescue
diver course in the next week, the final qualification that most of the
volunteers will be receiving out here and the final step before our Divemasters
for those on the internship. As our internship progresses, our work is more and
more directed towards helping prepare us for our placements in dive resorts
around Fiji; we have begun writing risk assessments and emergency action plans
and will soon have to run survey days and even take over base for a day where
we will be responsible for the health and safety of everyone on base, as well
as help solve any problems that arise (and they probably will!) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last Friday, on October 25th, we
were invited to a bazaar on the island Vuaki to raise money for the community.
We sat with the locals and drank kava and many of us were invited to get up and
dance to the music they were playing on ukuleles and drums. We indulged
ourselves in lots of incredible food - there was pork curry, fish and even
octopus being passed around! We ate until we were full then rejoined the kava
circle where I learned a lot about the village itself and where our donations
would be going. We also attended a village lunch on November 2nd
which was an annual celebration of those who have passed away. We cooked a stir
fry and took it as a contribution and enjoyed a variety of Fijian foods. It was
a great opportunity to connect with the people who have lived on our island
their entire lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Having been on base for 6 weeks,
I have had an unforgettable time. Everything we have seen and done has been so
cool, and I think we have all learned a lot out here. The friends and memories
I have made will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I am glad I have
another six weeks out here where I will make many many more!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-61358095835854321482013-11-10T18:06:00.003-08:002013-11-10T18:06:42.902-08:00Ensuring consistent and effective provision for pupils at Navunisea School, Silana.<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt 36.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">At Navunisea
School, Silana there is no library and very few books, which has impeded the
development of reading skills. GVI volunteers provide assistance to the
teachers through daily 1-1 reading and 1-1 remedial support. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Due to a frequent arrival of new volunteers GVI
wants to ensure consistent and effective provision for the pupils receiving 1-1
support. In addition, GVI wanted to ensure that volunteers could work
effectively in a short amount of time.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Firstly we
extracted the learning aims for each class from the teachers so that we had
clear goals for what the children needed to achieve. This has also aided us in
identifying gaps in children’s learning.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Then GVI
scholar Tash streamlined the way volunteers recorded their lessons, pupil
progress and pupil achievements. There are now clear working folders so that
new volunteers can see what has been put in place before their arrival. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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GVI had not given the same 1-1 support for Kindi. However, scholar Tash and
volunteer Emma have devised a way of providing 1-1 phonic and numeracy support
for pupils in Kindi. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> To date GVI has also devised a way of
assessing pupil progress at the beginning and end of each term. These
assessments are kinaesthetic and encourage pupils to demonstrate their learning
through practical tasks, rather than filling in sheets. The assessment combined with volunteer
checklists helps teachers and volunteers see clear pupil progression and see
who no longer needs the support of the 1-1 programme. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The next
step for GVI is to identify Gifted & Talented pupils. We would aim to
stretch these pupils and provide them with a broader variety of texts, which
they would not normally come across. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB">“The
first thing I did with the children was to take them individually and assess
their knowledge of numeracy and literacy. From there I realised the children
needed help in these areas, so I made individual work books with the alphabet
and numbers 1-10. I also made alphabet and number cards so I could hold them up
and assist the children to be able to recognise them. I have written student
profiles stating their strong points of numeracy and literacy and their
weaknesses so I know what I need to work on with the children.<a href="" name="_GoBack"></a>”
– Emma, GVI Volunteer. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-2048494113627515352013-11-04T19:59:00.001-08:002013-11-10T16:32:43.162-08:00My Stay in Vuaki Village<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">After a boat trip, we arrived on the beach of Vuaki at about 3 pm. We, the Construction Team, were invited to stay in the village for one night. We walked the path from the beach into the village arrived directly at Bill’s house. That’s the house where I stayed.</span></div>
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I brought my backpack into the room Bill and his wife sat aside for me. In my room was a bed with a thick mattress. Pretty cool! In the living room the GVI volunteers and staff snacked on some cookies and enjoyed a nice talk with Bill’s wife, children (Simone – two years, Napoleon – six months) and some relatives before we went for seeing how the men built a bure (traditional Fijian home) with traditional tools like sticks and stones.<br />
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At about 5:45 pm the main point of the evening started. We went along another path to another village. There was a big celebration. After a thirty-minute walk through the woods, we arrived in Long Beach. The women cooked while men pounded kava. I tried to help pound kava. To do this, you take your hand around an iron stick and push the stick with a lot of power onto the kava root while it is an iron container. I did it only about three times, but I did it. :)<br />
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When the food was ready to eat, we took a seat in a new-but-not-completely-set-up house. The sitting area was 5-6 meters long. There were tablecloths (on the floor) and on it the plates. Just plates, no cutlery. I liked it. :) People sat on both sides on the tablecloths. And then it came, the part I looked forward to most (the food)! Yeah!! There was octopus, fish, crabs, pork, sticks with small chillies. It was delicious. Maybe it was the best fish I’ve ever eaten. After four plates, I washed my hands in a small bowl with water, left the food house, and entered a traditional cottage.<br />
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This place had a special atmosphere for me. Inside were three women. The wood and leaf walls were decorated with materials. In the middle of the women stood an oil lamp that gave just enough light to see, not too much and not too little, just enough to create a great atmosphere. During one or two mugs of black tea we had nice talks. It was a pretty good moment. At about 10pm we went back along the path with the same children and torches. I slept well.<br />
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For breakfast I had freshly baked coconut cake which gave my stay a nice end. The people in Vuaki are very friendly. They laugh a lot and make you feel like they love to have you in their home. They are also very good cooks. My stay was traditional. Thank you for the great experience.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Michael Sander (AKA ‘The Machine’), Germany</span></div>
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4 week Yasawa Construction Volunteer</div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-87265670030103686672013-11-04T15:11:00.000-08:002013-11-04T15:11:47.287-08:00Geography With Class 3 + 4<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
For my first week teaching class 3 and 4, ages 8 - 10 years old, at Navunisea Primary School, Cara (the other volunteer in class 3 and 4) and myself decided to do a geography lesson. </div>
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Cara had done a great job at drawing a map of the world, and painted the continents in different colors to make it more visual. I started with introducing the notion of the world being made up of 6 continents<span style="font-weight: bold;">:</span> Asia, Americas, Europe, Africa, Oceania and Antarctica. We went through the pronunciation of each continent several times and the students repeated each word. </div>
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I then introduced the notion of country. I started with Fiji, so they could relate. I asked what the capital city of Fiji was, and what the Fijian flag looked like. I then told them that Cara was from another country, called Germany, and that the capital city of Germany was Berlin. I then showed them what the German flag looked like. I am from France, so we went over the same details for France as well as 3 other countries; the USA, Brazil, and China.</div>
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We practiced the pronunciation of each country and capital city, as well as the colors of their different flags. </div>
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I had made stickers for each flag and each continent. I placed each flag on the map to then show where each country was. To make it more interactive, I came up with a little exercise: I told them that France was in Europe and asked who wanted to come to the blackboard and place Europe on the map. They had to use the colors assigned to each continent to determine where each continent was. All the hands in the class were up and all the kids wanted to come and participate. </div>
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It was so rewarding since most these notions were totally new to them.</div>
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Finally, in the afternoon for arts and crafts class I asked them to pick a flag of their choice and make a collage to represent that flag. <span style="font-size: 1em;">It was a great day!</span></div>
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Now all the new volunteers that will come to the class can keep showing the kids where they are from and therefore the kids will keep practicing. </div>
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-Nathalie, 3 week Expedition Volunteer Dawusamu </div>
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Paris, France</div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-4193966951231454162013-11-04T14:50:00.004-08:002013-11-04T15:51:28.451-08:00Wednesdays Are The Best Days <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">Every Wednesday I wake up and have 2 cups of coffee, with extra coffee, opposed to the normal one. Why am the excess you may ask? Because Wednesday is Kids Club day, and you need to bring your A game. School runs the same, for the exception of the occasional, and by occasional I mean every 5 minute, interruption from a Silana based child screaming 'KIDS CLUB 4:00 TODAY!', note this is more of a proclamation rather than a question. </span><br />
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Every Wednesday at 4:00 pm I get a team together to help gather all the kids in the community hall for the magic of Kids Club. Four sessions in and I am still bewildered by the kids endless excitement, and ability to clean things up in the same amount of time they destroy them, which is approximately 2 minutes when your back is turned. I have also learned to never underestimate the power of 1 child running around the village screaming "kids club", because while we always start with approximately 10 kids there, in a blink of an eye about 30 - 40 more come out of the woodwork. </div>
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You see the challenge of kids club is:</div>
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1. Always preparing for at least 40 children to show up</div>
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2. Planning an activity you can explain to children who have limited English</div>
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3. Making sure that activity is suitable for ages 2 - 26</div>
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Week one, my silly silly naive self thought 'Musical Chairs! What a great idea!'. We passed out a piece of cardboard to each child, who then proceeded to play their own game of 'collect the most amount of cardboard possible, don't let anything stop you, this is my hunger games'. Our dinky little speakers clearly were not good enough, and the next thing you know a family walks in with a sound system. Thus musical chairs turned into 'musical kids club 3 hour dance party', which was no problem at all. I basically got to live out my dream of being a bar mitzvah MC.</div>
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Week two! So knowledgeable. So ready. Went prepared with enough paint and flags for the kids to design, and face paint to celebrate Fiji day! Paint ended up on bodies, and puppies, and pretty much anywhere but the flags. The boys all got turned into super hero's, so obviously there was a lot of jumping from rafters and busting through windows. Highlight of the week, the women lining up to get their faces painted as well, and this ray of sunshine in the photo below who does the best photobombs.</div>
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Week 3, invincible at this point, right? Rainy day kids club, it must slow them down. I brought along a fish puzzle a volunteer made for Class 1 + 2's art project, and paper doll chains to color in. I even carried over enough scrap paper to make sure paint ended up no where but the fish! </div>
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. . . we ended up giving each other mustache and uni-brows once the 25 fish puzzles and 50 paper dolls ran out. <br />
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Week 4: The perfect solution for a week of rain, movie day. I really wanted 'The Lion King' because bright colors and singing animals is really all you need to be happy in life. Unfortunately we did not have a copy here, appalling I know, so we went with probably the 108th best option; 'Rio'. Watching the kids reaction to something they clearly did not understand was the most entertaining movie I have ever seen. As Steve so delicately put it 'nothing brings down the house like a colorful bird bouncing off a ladies behind to the beat of a song'. </div>
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As exhausting as kids club can be, it is still my favorite time week after week. I have never laughed so hard and still cannot fathom how much respect and cooperation comes from a group of kids you can only share 10 words with. </div>
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-Jenna, Community Scholar Dawasamu</div>
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New York, USA</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-46533597357631204982013-11-04T14:41:00.001-08:002013-11-04T14:41:19.271-08:00Sports Day at Navunisea District School<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">
<span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">The other day, Navunisea school held a special event called "Sports Day". What a way to spend the day! Much like the sports days I remember from my own primary school days, it was an opportunity for the kids to let loose and have a good time. The school was divided into four 'houses': red, green, blue, and yellow. Each house had students from each age group, who competed in a series of races and relays.</span></div>
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Walking around the field, you could not help but be drawn in by the infectious energy. As each race heat came and went, the excitement grew. Kids stood all around the track cheering for their teams, screaming as the runners went by. The day started with 1500m races for the 12-14 year olds, followed by 50m races for ages 6-11. The excitement was so great that the 6 year olds running the first 50m race completely missed the finish line and kept running around the track. The whole crowd completely loved it, laughing and chasing the kids all the way around.</div>
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I got to work with the teachers and other volunteers to help tally scores and run the races. Cheering along with the students, I had a great time working at the finish line. It was great getting to spend more time with the kids from my class, playing outside and skipping rope. Starting races was really fun too. At the starting line, the kids joked with each other as they warmed up. Some got so excited that they started running before the signal, which was always entertaining. The day was a lot of fun, and a well-deserved break from classwork.</div>
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Steve Nemroff, USA</div>
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4 week Education Volunteer Dawasamu</div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-40793804082849225282013-11-04T14:36:00.001-08:002013-11-04T14:36:33.505-08:00 GVI Community HallIn October this year GVI were approached by members of Silana Youth Group about constructing a new building in the village. The 'GVI Community Hall' will comprise of 2 bathrooms, an office and an open space for giving outreach presentations, training and socializing with the community. Some of our Expedition volunteers have had the opportunity to get involved with the construction work over the past few weeks, here Kyle gives us an update....<br />
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"I've spent two weeks here in Silana so far and the majority of my time has been split between teaching in the school and working in the village with the Youth Group. I have enjoyed my time spent in both areas, but the construction work in the village is very enjoyable at the moment, as we are currently building a new buree for base.<br />
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My first day working with the men involved shoveling sand into wheelbarrows to fill up the foundation of the new building. Although this is pretty mindless work, the talk between the men in the village keeps it entertaining. We filled up the foundation until it was level for a couple of days.
When that was finished, we went to a nearby village to get gravel to mix with cement powder and water to create concrete in order to solidify the base of the structure and surrounding walls. The past couple of days we have been digging holes for beams and posts that will hold the walls and ceiling up, and laying more cement onto the side structure of the building.
So far it has been both demanding and enjoyable and I can only hope to be here long enough to see the finished product. The men estimate that the physical structure of the building will be done in around 2 - 3 weeks.<br />
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Kyle, 4 week Expedition Volunteer Dawusamu
Boston, USAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-14374436301170594452013-10-28T15:02:00.000-07:002013-11-04T15:03:23.172-08:00Gaining 170 Family Members...<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">From July-August Jenna volunteered on our Expedition program in the Yasawas for 8 weeks. She returned to Fiji at the end of September and joined our Dawasamu base as a Community Scholar. Here she shares her experience of arriving in the village....</span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"I had all sorts of anxiety upon arriving in Fiji again. It was hard to think I was so close to Tovuto Base and Ratu Meli Memorial School, but also knowing I was going to an entirely new place....</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I boarded my 5 hour bus to Suva excited to see what lay ahead. Luckily for me it was a bag of extra cheese twistes at a rest stop, 5 hours is a long time with out snacks. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I instantaneously felt a weight off my shoulders upon arriving in Suva, a huge part of that is because how incredible GVI's staff are. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The more I learned about the base I would soon be living on, and the responsibilities I would soon have as 'Community Scholar / Assistant Project Leader', the more my nervous anxiety turned into excitement.</span><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I finally made it to Silana village, in the Dawusamu District, on the mainland (for those of you wanting to google map it), and it exceeded my expectations. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It's beautiful in an entirely different way to the Yasawas. Instead of white sandy beaches there is volcanic black sand and hidden waterfalls you can swim in. As well as the warmest, most caring people every corner you turn. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I was eager to explore but was not allowed until my 'Sevu Sevu', a welcome ceremony / acceptance to the village where I would present a root of Kava to the chief of the village.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6lZPoAAH6tU/UngmwPNgxlI/AAAAAAAAAcA/XFBy8-621AY/s1600/Gaining+170+Family+Members+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6lZPoAAH6tU/UngmwPNgxlI/AAAAAAAAAcA/XFBy8-621AY/s400/Gaining+170+Family+Members+1.png" width="305" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">At night we went to a birthday tea which consisted of 2 rows of table cloth on the floor covered in plates of all different types of cake. Shortly after we headed to my Sevu Sevu in the hall where I presented the village with a kava root.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The next 6 hours were a blur of endless kava, singing, getting lost, and Fijian dancing as well as being told 'welcome to the family' by more people then I can process. I've never felt so at home.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I am still overwhelmed with joy and shock at how welcoming every member of Silana has been.</span><br /><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
The best part of the weekend still lay ahead, when I was introduced to my personal Fijian family; Mirama and little Kiani and Kelerea, also know as my best buddies. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I am so excited to get to know them, as well as the entirety of Silana Village, better as these next 2 months go by.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zSvi7qh6KpQ/UngmxqyMJdI/AAAAAAAAAcI/cORhPbmrk8A/s1600/Gaining+170+Family+Members+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="346" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zSvi7qh6KpQ/UngmxqyMJdI/AAAAAAAAAcI/cORhPbmrk8A/s400/Gaining+170+Family+Members+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
- Jenna, Community Scholar Dawusamu</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
New York, USA</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-25529658162672905052013-10-13T18:08:00.001-07:002013-10-13T18:08:27.561-07:00Fiji Day Week<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Three weeks into my six month marine internship, I have
definitely settled well into island life. As interns this week we were given
more responsibility around base, including helping with food and medical stock
supplies and social media duties. When new people come to base next week we
will also be expected to help settle them in and show them round base.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This week was a particularly busy week for us. We had EFR
(Emergency First Response) training which is needed for when we do our search
and rescue dive qualifications in a few weeks. Also, some of us have started
learning survey techniques with the intention to start surveying Monday
afternoon, the information we collect is to help local communities create and
monitor Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). On Wednesday I went to school with two
other volunteers and gave a lesson on conservation of turtles, and after played
a game of volleyball with the children. At the end of each week we have fun
dives, this week some of us were lucky enough to see white tip reef sharks and
a large school of barracuda swim right by us! Fiji day was also this week, where
Fijians celebrate their independence, this is a national holiday and on the
Friday we were able to go and watch a rugby tournament where local village teams
from the Yasawa Islands competed against each other, we were able to enjoy
local food and kava with villagers throughout the day. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This weekend most people on base visited the caves on
Nabukeru where we got to swim through different caves, swimming underwater
through to the spitting cave, which was pitch black, then we had free time to
jump off ledges, some were braver than others! Saturday evening was spent with
the local families on base, where we had a<i>
lovo</i>, which is a traditional Fijian way of cooking food. The food is placed
on hot coals in a pit in the ground, covered by leaves and cooked for several
hours. The food was amazing, lots of chicken, sausages, pasta and cassava,
which was followed by lots of kava late into the night.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So far so good from Fiji, the friends I’ve already made are
amazing and in such short space of time we already have many memories! Life is
definitely good!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Becky Payne, England</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Marine Intern</div>
</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-17058347881813163602013-10-12T15:43:00.000-07:002013-12-18T15:44:24.444-08:00September Achievement Report<div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;">
<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/192410777/YMST-Achievement-Report-September-2013-GVIFiji" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View YMST Achievement Report September 2013.GVIFiji on Scribd">YMST Achievement Report September 2013.GVIFiji</a> by <a href="http://www.scribd.com/gvinadioffice" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View gvinadioffice's profile on Scribd">gvinadioffice</a></div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.708006279434851" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_51915" scrolling="no" src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/192410777/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-lsogobim5lmztgi13az&show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-65852481817020130072013-10-07T13:58:00.001-07:002013-10-07T14:00:39.595-07:00Building Joseph's Water Tank Base in the Village of Vuaki<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Building
Joseph's Water Tank Base in the Village of Vuaki<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By
Pauline Higgins<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
"Water is our number one issue", Joseph said as
we discussed life in his village of Vuaki, which is on the island of
Matacawalevu, one of the Fijian islands in the beautiful, remote and dry Yasawa
range. Joseph's family had a water tank, but it was sitting on dirt - not
good for the longevity of the tank - and it wasn't piped correctly to collect
the most water from the corrugated iron roof, so GVI was building him a water
tank base.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
Joseph asked that the base be built on a section of land by
his son's house that was on a slope with a big rock in the middle. This
involved a little planning on the part of the GVI Community staff, Mary and
Nate, plus volunteers Jim, Michael and Pauline. The tank was measured and
the frame boards, which we brought to the site on the boat that morning, were
nailed together to make the correct size form for the new base. No
cutting of boards though - the excess protruded - so that they could be reused
on other bases that needed to be bigger. We started digging and
measuring, digging again, pick-axing rocks, removing stones and shoveling dirt,
until the hole was the correct size and depth. A bonus!...As we dug, fat,
pink, juicy earth worms were exposed, which I very quickly collected in a
coconut shell and 'planted' in our newly-dug community garden!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
We had no concrete-making materials at this point, so over
the next couple of days, in between other projects, we 'harvested gravel',
which meant we picked up lots and lots of 'Mary's right-sized' stones from the
beach and put them in sacks. Other preparation involved the laying of
plastic sheeting, placing of rocks and rebars in the hole, and of course
numerous trips to the beach to collect sand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
When the day came to actually pour concrete, we made more
trips to the beach to collect the last of the sand as well as to bring up the
many sacks of gravel that we had collected plus the four bags of cement
allotted for this particular base. This was definitely a team effort.
The sacks of sand, gravel and cement were heavy, the wheelbarrow wobbly
with its punctured wheel, the journey from beach to house long, and the day hot
and sticky! We did get help from some of the Fijian young men from Vuaki,
which was much appreciated. Those guys are strong!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
Joseph had collected water for us in 5-gallon plastic
containers. He was a retired carpenter and aside from providing us with
this help, he also came up with some valuable tools and, as it turned out, some
much-needed cement right at the end. So now all the materials were
assembled and it was time to mix and pour concrete. For about the next
three hours we mixed and poured, one wheelbarrow-full at a time, until the form
was filled and a water tank base emerged. Leveling was the last step and
Mary made sure that our base was smooth and level. That's when Joseph's
'found' cement proved to be a god-send. We had come up short just a
little bit on cement. Lunch on the family patio that day, cooked for us
by Joseph's wife, was especially sweet after all the hard work we had put in
and with the satisfaction of having behind us a job well done. We had fun
scratching in our names on the edge of the finished product. Jim, Michael and I
wrote in our Fijian names - Timoci, Michali and Paulini.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
The following day, after our village stay, we removed the
wood form, placed the tank on its new base and connected and secured the proper
piping. We also cleared up around Joseph's house and moved the excess
sand and gravel a little way down to the next water base site. Joseph was
well pleased with his 'new and improved' water tank, which hopefully will soon
be full of much needed water for him and his family. And guess what? Today,
Sunday October 6th, 2013.....it rained!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gItypxeJwLU/UlMgY2ArKoI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/XEWYfxJBOLo/s1600/For+Pauline's+Story.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gItypxeJwLU/UlMgY2ArKoI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/XEWYfxJBOLo/s320/For+Pauline's+Story.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-15893175654911149262013-10-07T13:30:00.000-07:002013-10-07T14:00:56.416-07:00First Impressions of Base and Project Life <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"> We
are two weeks in to our volunteer opportunity at Tovuto Base on Nanuya Lai Lai,
in the Northern Yasawas, Fiji. Most, if
not all, of us have settled into our accommodations nicely and have begun to
call our little Island community home.
Shortly after arriving on base, we found our way to our dorms, and since
have bonded with fellow dorm-mates. There
are three groups on base, Construction, Education, and Marine and during mutual
downtime it is an enjoyable experience listening to others talk about their
days. We are all placed on rotation
teams for cooking and grounds duty, and in this way we have gotten to know most
of the others on base regardless of group or dorm. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"> As
part of the Marine team my days have largely revolved around diving. At first we dove to make sure our skills were
adequate, but this was quickly followed by species identification. Currently all of the new Marine members have
completed the necessary dives to become Advanced Open Water Certified and are
now fine tuning our survey techniques.
The main part of our job is to survey reef health both inside and
outside of Marine Protected Areas to measure how well the MPAs are working. The Marine team will learn coral,
invertebrate, and fish species and search for and identify “target species” to
gauge MPA effectiveness. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-AU">We are here to
help the community. Their livelihoods
depend on the reefs, and our work will assist both through surveys and, perhaps
more importantly, educating students in school.
They are the future of Fiji after all.
Two weeks in and I’m loving it!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">-Phil Steffes</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">3 month volunteer, Sep-Dec 2013. </span></div>
</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-84331165353407170542013-09-25T23:44:00.001-07:002013-09-25T23:48:53.140-07:00Joining the GVI staff team on Babale Base<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">When I received an invitation to spend a
year living and working in Fiji presented itself, I jumped at the opportunity.
I couldn’t imagine what a turn my life would take. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"> On
arrival in the village of Silana I was greeted with large smiles and “Bula
Ellie!” and “…this is Ellie” with knowing looks passed around. It quickly
dawned that everyone was expecting my arrival.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I was initiated into the village at the sevusevu
ceremony – drinking kava and teased for having a feeble clap, something I am
working on. The evening ended with fantastical music and dancing, everyone
joining in. Now an official member I began
to relax into my new role as both GVI staff and a member of the vibrant and
warming community. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sbL9s1DK_po/UkPYX2WITBI/AAAAAAAAAZw/H1wMAng-w3U/s1600/Ellie+blog+photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sbL9s1DK_po/UkPYX2WITBI/AAAAAAAAAZw/H1wMAng-w3U/s400/Ellie+blog+photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I can only compare my traditional ‘Bule’
accommodation to the house Peter made for Wendy. Its small garden decorated
with giant clam shells, a high pitched thatched roof and woven bamboo walls. The sea is only 10 meters from my door and I
can hear it gently lapping on the shore at night. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The GVI supports a number of programmes
providing assistance to the teachers of Navunisea School, based in Silana
village. On Monday morning the new volunteers, and myself, were both eager and
nervous for our first day at school. We could not have anticipated such a warm
welcome by staff and pupils alike. Coming to school in the morning is a joy. I
have spent my first week meeting teachers and pupils, and I am now trying to
match all the names with their smiling faces.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">After school the volunteers and I have
dinner together or with our new Fijian families. We have trekked through the
nearby forest to a secluded waterfall and swimming pool, which was beautifully
refreshing on a humid afternoon. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I cannot wait to see what the rest of the
year will bring!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><i>Ellie Hanson - Education Project Leader, Dawasamu</i></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-83880756681650443272013-09-19T19:53:00.001-07:002013-09-19T19:58:35.436-07:00My second home <div class="MsoNormal">
Nothing could possibly compare to my Silana experience.
Living in the village and being so flooded with culture and seeing how
genuinely grateful the community are is something I definitely can’t take for
granted. Everyday you’re welcomed with the warmest hearts and the biggest
smiles and everyone is so willing to help in whatever you may need. For me,
teaching in school has been the highlight of my experience – having my own
class who are all so eager (and super competitive to learn!) makes teaching
even more rewarding. Although to begin with it was scary and challenging, it
didn’t take long for me to really feel like part of the school community.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NQH3rn8Gjrc/Uju4VTrKDsI/AAAAAAAAAZY/N44AtTCAnA0/s1600/image+(17).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NQH3rn8Gjrc/Uju4VTrKDsI/AAAAAAAAAZY/N44AtTCAnA0/s320/image+(17).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On top of teaching, I also helped out with the community
work around the village during the school holidays, and did lots of
environmental work guided by the super enthusiastic Kendra! This included
building a compost frame up at the school, creating awareness pamphlets for the
villagers and planting lots of fruit and veggies in the community garden.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Living in the village also meant I got my own Fijian family
who I could visit whenever I wanted, have delicious dinners with or simply just
pop in and say “Bula”. On the weekends I was lucky enough to visit Moon Reef which
is home to over 70 very playful spinner dolphins which was an unreal sight to
see!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Days in Silana fly by, but without doubt they always end
with a kava session in the community hall where you can wind down with guitars,
silly songs and lots of dancing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My short two month expedition has absolutely flown by and I
feel incredibly lucky to now be a part of Silana, and it is now officially my
second home! Being part of GVI allowed me to be surrounded by likeminded
volunteers and enthusiastic staff who are incredibly passionate about
everything that they do. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to make a
difference in the most beautiful village in the world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Serena Prelec, 8 week Expedition Volunteer on Babale Base, Dawasamu</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-43306401945257148812013-09-12T21:15:00.002-07:002013-10-01T22:55:53.275-07:00August Achievement Report - Waste Management<p style=" margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"> <a title="View GVI Fiji Achievement Report - Waste Management, August 2013 Updated on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/172656230" style="text-decoration: underline;" >GVI Fiji Achievement Report - Waste Management, August 2013 Updated</a></p><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/172656230/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true" data-auto-height="false" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" scrolling="no" id="doc_86488" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0"></iframe>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-66090879137384834862013-09-04T17:11:00.000-07:002013-09-04T17:11:02.221-07:00Roses and Thorns<div class="MsoNormal">
When people leave Tovuto Base we like to do a little
tradition called “Roses and Thorns.” It’s a time for everyone to remember their
best, and worst, moments while on the base and share them with the rest of the
group. They are quite special because no matter if they are presented like a
proper comedy routine, or if the person is crying while they present, they
offer a view into someone’s personal experience while somewhere that places
them completely out of their comfort zone. Therefore, true to fashion, I am
choosing to put myself out of my comfort zone one last time while on base and
write my roses and thorns as my final blog. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My first rose is going to start off with a little story
about the person I was before this experience… Before I came out to Fiji I
remember people asking me many questions- what I was most excited for, what I
was going to do, and what I was most scared of. After thinking about it for a
while I realized that what I was most nervous for was putting myself in a
position where I stood out. I was terrified that as neither a staff member, nor
a volunteer, but a scholar (the only scholar), I wouldn’t really fit in
anywhere. How wrong I was… After living on this base for three months now I can
honestly and truly look back to that period, not so long ago, and laugh at how
ridiculous that fear was. From my very first day here I felt welcome, included,
and part of a family. I need to thank everyone, and especially the staff for
making this so easy for me and welcoming me without question. It made me more
confident, independent, and happy with who I am.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another rose I have would be the opportunities I got to
experience while I was here. I was able to do so much more than I originally
thought and am so grateful for it. My first week here I got to finish the
construction on the composting toilets at Ratu Meli Memorial School. With this
project finished I was able to move from island to island, with my team, constructing
various water tank bases and guttering connections that enabled fresh,
accessible, water for countless families. We were able to completely transform
a grass and weed patch into a fully functioning and useful garden which has
since been harvested and used for a couple weeks worth of school lunches. I
went across Fiji and studied dolphins and conservation of a reef which is not
only important for ecology, but for the culture of the Fijian people of the
area. I was able to scuba dive and saw an ornate ghost pipefish (very rare) on
my first dive! When I moved more into the education side of my position I was
able to teach classes, do innumerable one-on-one sessions, and make it through
a whole semester where I could see the students growth in their studies. I was
also able to make an impact in communities by holding presentations and
meetings with so many people of so many different walks of life where I learned
so much.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I know this seems cheesy but I really, seriously, and
honestly have no thorns. When I sat down to write these out the only thing that
came to me as a thorn was leaving. I am going to miss absolutely everything
about Fiji and about Tovuto Base. I will
miss the place, I will miss the culture, but most of all I will miss the people
I shared it with. Every single person I have met while here has impacted me in
their own special way and I can truly say that I will never forget any of you. This
three month period was a moment in time that will soon become a memory, and
although I dread that time, I am so happy for the experience that I’ve been
blessed to have with all of you. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cFEzNRM1MyI/UifLsp00mvI/AAAAAAAAAYw/X7BUfxnnIi8/s1600/P1080371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cFEzNRM1MyI/UifLsp00mvI/AAAAAAAAAYw/X7BUfxnnIi8/s400/P1080371.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, in conclusion, my real rose is this complete experience,
the whole package, which will always be in my heart and in my mind. Vinaka vaka
levu Fiji. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Hayley Marshall - 12 week Community Project Scholar</i></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-88849741580709859952013-09-04T16:58:00.002-07:002013-09-04T16:58:40.472-07:00A hike with Class 8<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are a lot of
fantastic qualities surrounding class 8 that made me extend education for 2
weeks. But, two of the best things about my class and students in the school in
general is they are so intrigued by other’s cultures and want to share as much of
theirs as possible. They are continually taught to always provide good charity
and help those less fortunate than themselves, regardless that they don’t have
access to clean drinking water and half their school is still missing from a
cyclone, they have never once viewed themselves as people in need but rather
put their effort into learning about others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">During one of our many lunch sessions, in
which they consistently try to push food onto me because they swear we don't
eat enough, it came up that I enjoy the occasional hike. They informed me we
could go on one as a class.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A few details they failed to mention prior to
the agreement to go Wednesday morning: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. There is a chunk of the trail that seemed
to be at a complete 90 degree angle and I know they know what this means
because we JUST finished a chapter on triangles in maths class.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. Although leaving in the morning is the
coolest part of the day, this is still the tropics of Fiji. So the first hour
was in direct sunlight with no breeze all uphill in what must have been 80
degree heat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3. Their idea of fun is literally running down
the steepest parts of the mountain and peer pressuring me to do so as well.
Hysterical, right? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Well regardless of my qualms with the
mountains it was still my best day here. The highlight was getting to know some
of the shyer kids much better an witnessing all of them assisting my apparently
old butt up and over the mountain... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Louisa took my water bottle and hooked it onto
her backpack so my pants would stop falling down... Tema put her headband in my
hair because I missed the memo to wrap a sulu around your head to stop the
copious amounts of sweat from blinding you... And Vite held my hand the entire
way down the steep mountain because I'm pretty sure my not so impressive
running skills concerned her too much. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J6lSDbvCFwQ/UifIxfWgMQI/AAAAAAAAAYo/02iME_k9Ps4/s1600/249014_10151640086298512_1278696941_n.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J6lSDbvCFwQ/UifIxfWgMQI/AAAAAAAAAYo/02iME_k9Ps4/s320/249014_10151640086298512_1278696941_n.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The only downside to the day was when the
resort on the other side of the mountain refused to sell us ice cream because
they were running low and had guests at full capacity until their next
shipment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But it's okay because we came up with an epic
plan to steal a boat, go to a neighboring island's resort, then steal and eat
their ice cream all day long. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sadly we didn't go through with our flawless
plan but I did bring in a cake later that week to make up for it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The last 30 minutes of our over 3 hour hike
was down the beach where I was given the prettiest shell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We finally returned to the school where I
collapsed in the middle of a field, gobbled down an egg bun made by Lice, then
shouted "ALL RIGHT LETS GO AGAIN!". . . To I was profusely booed at.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's cool though, because deep down I know
those angsty teens loved the day as much as me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f03O9ozrFPQ/UifIv3zvQKI/AAAAAAAAAYg/Gzrm0m27Lo0/s1600/999401_10151640082628512_1718995748_n.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f03O9ozrFPQ/UifIv3zvQKI/AAAAAAAAAYg/Gzrm0m27Lo0/s320/999401_10151640082628512_1718995748_n.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-58186403473152832802013-09-04T16:53:00.002-07:002013-09-04T16:53:43.305-07:00Construction- A Community Event<div class="MsoNormal">
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This week on construction was my first time fully completing
a water tank project from start to finish. It turns out it’s a lot of work, but
definitely worth it! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We started a couple days ago with the menial task of picking
up gravel from the beach. Although slightly slow and repetitive I have to say
that sitting on a beach in Fiji is not the worst thing to do while
volunteering. With ten bags full of beach gravel we began the real work on the
base. First the area had to be set for where the location of the base would be.
One was chosen close to the church in Naisisili that would allow an easy
downpipe hook up to some guttering we had put up earlier in the week. We marked
the area and began to dig the ground down in order to level it out. While this
was going on Tevita, a local from Naisisili and GVI staff, and I put together a
7x7 wooden frame. This frame was then placed on top of black plastic on the
level ground the other volunteers had been working on. It would later be used
to hold the cement we would mix to create the base which the water tank would
stand on. The next step was placing rebar in a grid position on top of the
black plastic and inside the wooden frame. Bigger rocks were then placed on the
rebar to hold down the support and ready the area for the concrete.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NXDHEHHxDvM/UifHsin_mVI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/4ADt1Iimu4U/s1600/BRsRR1MCYAAIuPn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NXDHEHHxDvM/UifHsin_mVI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/4ADt1Iimu4U/s400/BRsRR1MCYAAIuPn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
We began to mix the concrete by adding cement, water, sand,
and gravel. While doing this many of the local men came to help and participate
in making the water tank base. It was so good to work alongside the people who
will be benefitting from the work we put in today in the long run. Getting to
know the people and the culture of Fiji has really put a face to the work GVI
and many other organizations do around the world. It makes a personal connection
to the struggles and beauty that encompass third world countries and the people
that come together to try and improve certain situations. We worked with the
men for two hours mixing and creating the cement for the tank base. When it was
complete and leveled we were invited to a nearby house for tea and pastries. It
was so great, after a long days work, to sit with everyone who had worked so
closely together, to relax and enjoy each others company with a community who
was so happy to have a new and sustainable piece of equipment. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Hayley Marshall - Community Project Scholar</b></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-63391723787722308222013-09-04T16:48:00.002-07:002013-09-04T16:48:58.482-07:00Sharks, Humpback Whales and a pirate ship<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Since
my arrival at the GVI base in Nanuya LaiLai Island I have experienced a new way
of life and started a new journey into diving.
When I first started the dive internship I was terrified of sharks and
did not think I would ever have the courage to be in the same water as them let
alone dive with them. The only reason I
had this fear was because of what I watched in movies when I was a little
girl. However, the opportunity arose to
face that fear by going diving with sharks on our fun dive Friday afternoon. A part of me really did not want to do it but
I came to the realization that I needed to face this fear at some point because
it has been the biggest reason why I don’t like swimming in deep water. On the
boat ride over I was really nervous and came close to saying I was just going
to wait on the boat but I knew I was going down with a great team, two very
experienced divers, Candice and Luke and there was nothing to be afraid of. As I was ascending to the bottom, I looked
down and it was one of the most amazing moments of my life, sharks swimming below
my feet. Not only were they not
dangerous or aggressive but they were so graceful and beautiful. There were five
Bull Sharks, two Lemon Sharks, six White Tips, one Black Tip, and four Grey
Reef swimming with us. I am so lucky to
have had that opportunity to face my biggest fear in my first month of this
internship and I am really thankful for getting to be a part of that dive because
I conquered my biggest fear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">After
our shark dive while we were all hanging around base waiting for our afternoon
dive, Candice, our Marine Science Coordinator, got a call from another dive staff
member, Tai, saying he spotted Humpback Whales while he was on the flyer
returning to base. The next thing I knew
we were on the boat heading in their direction.
It honestly felt like a dream; first I got to dive with sharks and now I
was heading to go see whales. When I
signed up for this trip they did mention we would be here for whale season but
I did not think I would be so lucky as to go photograph and observe them. It took a few minutes to spot them but once
we did it was a really amazing sight; the water was so calm, the sun was
glaring, and in the distance the Humpback’s breached, their backs came out of
the water a bit, raised their tails and went back under the water. Everyone, including myself, is so lucky to
have been a part of that because we were told there have not been any whales
around for over a year and a half. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Once
the whales had swam away in the distance we headed to the tall ship called the
Alvei that GVI is currently working with and it looks like a pirate ship! The Alvei travels around the Yasawas going to
different villages to install water tanks, plant plants, teach in local schools
and bring supplies to the villages. The
original plan was to bring all of our dive gear and clean the bottom of the
ship but since half of our group was out diving with the majority of the tanks
we just geared up with our snorkels and started scraping the side. It was surprisingly really fun because the
cleaning wasn’t that hard to do and I got to do it with all of my dive
buddies. Once we had been working for
about two hours and the other divers arrived with dive equipment and tanks we
took a break by getting to jump off the mast of the ship as well as the rope
swing on the side of the ship. It was a
really great way to end this already amazing day. So many great opportunities are arising since
the start of this internship that I would never have had the chance to do if I
was still back home. I am looking
forward to writing more about my experience as the weeks pass. Moce (good-bye) for now!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><b><i>Danielle
Gillard - Marine Conservation Intern</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-88422077420454120262013-09-01T21:02:00.000-07:002013-09-01T21:04:27.969-07:00Harvesting Ratu Meli Memorial School’s vegetable garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Harvesting Ratu Meli Memorial School’s
vegetable garden<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></div>
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The vegetable gardens at RMMS have
been a huge success. Not only have they generated food for the students to eat
for their lunches but the vegetables have also been sold to Blue Lagoon Resort.
With the help of the students, GVI has planted eggplant, lettuce, Chinese
cabbage, long bean, French bean, cucumber, pumpkin, coriander, tomatoes, and
chilies. While the majority of these vegetables are harvested during each
classes gardening time, GVI has now started bringing the excess vegetables or
those that the women cooking lunch do not use to Blue Lagoon Resort with the
profits going to the school. Blue Lagoon Resort already supports Ratu Meli so
it made sense to ask their chef if he would be interested in buying fresh
vegetables from the school. Over the school holidays, GVI bought over lettuce
and coriander to Blue Lagoon, the chef was really impressed with how fresh the
vegetables were and expressed an interest to continue purchasing both items
from Ratu Meli. Blue Lagoon normally has their vegetables sent up from the
mainland so buying locally not only ensures that their meals are fresher but
that they can also continue their support for RMMS. </div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-14849594317847009552013-08-13T14:26:00.000-07:002013-08-13T14:26:01.981-07:00Exciting return to Silana Village, Dawasamu<div class="MsoNormal">
When I left Silana Village in May after completing a two
week Education Program, my experience was amazing enough to know I’d be back
again before the end of my six month trip. Only two months later and I’m back
in my favorite village on a nine-week scholarship with GVI. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Returning to Silana was even more incredible than I thought
it would be. The villagers, who had become a big family to me over those short
two weeks, welcomed me back into their homes and their community with such
excitement and gratitude; constantly thanking me for returning to their school
and families. To hear that they were eagerly awaiting my return reminded me of
why Silana is so special to me. The locals care about every person who comes
into their village and go above and beyond all measures to ensure they become
and feel a valued member of Silana. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3AGlfgk2eDo/UgqjTYJYmiI/AAAAAAAAAX0/9n0boIHz9jE/s1600/P1180240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3AGlfgk2eDo/UgqjTYJYmiI/AAAAAAAAAX0/9n0boIHz9jE/s400/P1180240.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tash running an after-school art & crafts club</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
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It’s exciting to see the villages progress in terms of
becoming a sustainable and self-sufficient community. Since my departure,
Community Project Leader Kendra, has been working closely with the villagers in
order to develop waste management awareness. After numerous community meetings
and presentations focusing on issues such as litter, composting food and
packaging items, and new ways to re-use old materials, the community are now using
tin collecting bins and composting bins, have begun up-cycling collection
projects, an up-cycling income generation initiative for the women’s group, and
a GVI community vegetable garden. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My role as a scholar as opposed to a volunteer in the GVI
Education program has allowed me to spend time assisting volunteers with lesson
planning and classroom management, along with floating between classrooms,
preparing resources, and helping out in whatever way I can. Although I also
help with administrative tasks, I really love that I still have the opportunity
to spend time with the students through taking small and whole class lessons,
and one on one reading sessions. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s amazing to be back here in Silana Village, it’s
everything that I remembered it to be, and I’m really looking forward to being
even more involved in Navunisea District School and the village community.
Silana is most certainly a place I feel comfortable and loved, and my home away
from home. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Tash Chow - Community Scholar Dawasamu</i></b></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-2262023910447858992013-08-13T14:15:00.002-07:002013-08-13T14:15:31.318-07:00Science to Action Workshop<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">GVI is works
with the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Asset (FLMMA) network to improve capacity
building within respective stakeholders, which is the district of Nacula and as
a whole the respective communities in the FLMMA sites in Fiji.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This
fruitful and successful workshop was developed in order for FLMMA to bridge the
science knowledge to communities and improve their understanding. The Science
to Action (S2A) workshop was to help communities to identify best practice
generated from various field demonstration and exchanged ideas between
scientists and local communities as non-scientist to improve site management.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was a
pleasure as the GVI Marine Research Officer to give two presentations in this
two days S2A workshop, which I talked on “Protection of critical marine
habitats” and the GVI case study of the four projects running in Fiji.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There was
also a rep for the Nacula Yaubula Management Support Team (NYMST), Mr.Sakaraia
Navunisinu and he was so delighted to join in the group activities and be part
of the S2A workshop. Reps from Kadavu, Vanualevu, Ra , Serua, and Tavua were
present so it was a good mix of site sharing for community reps. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All the
twenty questions which were raised from the 2009 AGM were all answered by
presenters from various organizations. Community reps were very grateful for
this type of workshop and asked if they could have more workshops in the future
as they learn more inner depth of why they conserve and managed their natural
resources. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><b>Taione Delai - Marine Science Officer </b></i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-58854133810307062692013-08-06T15:45:00.000-07:002013-08-06T15:45:10.358-07:00I love my job!<div class="MsoNormal">
Yesterday, I had one of the best days of my placement yet.
As a GVI scholar I have been acting as a staff member for community projects
for two months now. This process has been a true learning experience and I will
never forget what I have learned along the way, and also the fun that I have
had. For me, yesterday represented this whole learning experience, so far,
coming together. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It started the same way many mornings here begin, with a
boat ride to Nacula Island to start the school day. I remembered the keys, the
box, and the lunch (small personal victories) and began the day settling the
volunteers back into their classes. Within ten minutes I was notified that the
representatives from UNICEF and other local NGOs were coming to the school to
discuss and scope out the work we have done for rainwater harvesting. After a
moment of nerves I was excited to meet and chat about the exciting things that
were going on at Ratu Meli Memorial School. When the representatives arrived at
the school Katie, Tovuto Base Manager, and myself introduced ourselves and had
a quick chat about the work we had been doing. Everyone seemed excited and
impressed about the work that had been done and the plans that were coming
together to do more. This was welcome information and made me feel that the
work we had been doing was well-worth it. After this quick meeting together it
was already lunchtime, time passes quickly here, and we walked down to Nacula
village where the ladies make us lunch every Tuesday. After a delicious lunch of
homemade Fijian delicacies we were invited to a women’s meeting to discuss a
cleaning committee for the school. Speaking with the women in the village was
empowering and made me realize once more, that the women here are incredibly
strong and driven. We walked back to school and got some proper work done in
the classrooms and the library and before I knew it, it was time to head home
already.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When we arrived back at Tovuto Base the monsters (cute kids
around base) met us on the beach. They were excited because it was Robbie’s,
the smallest monster’s, birthday! Birthday’s are an especially big deal on base
and for this one we were notified that a turtle island cake had been ordered.
For those of you who have ever had it you understand why it’s such a big deal.
It’s so rich and moist and packed with sugar and butter, which are hard to come
by on the islands. It is a delicious treat and when it happens to be ordered
you know it’s a special occasion. After singing, celebrating, and stuffing our
faces I was happy to go back to work and do some basic education training with
the new volunteers at the school. After some time going over teaching methods
and English language practices it was free time and I began to study for my
Open Water, yet another perk of the job. I have wanted to dive since I was 9
years old and now, thanks to the staff on base and the opportunities GVI has
given me to experience my scholarship in such a beautiful and tropical place, I
can finally get it.</div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Successful day? Ya, I love my job!</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><i>Hayley Marshall - Community Scholar</i></b></span></div>
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