Introducing Kenda our new Community Project Leader....
It’s hard to believe how much my life has changed in the
last few weeks. I went from living in bustling Edinburgh, full of shops and
cars, to the remote and beautiful Silana Village. I went from being a student
and server in a restaurant, to the Community Projects Leader for GVI Fiji on
their Dawasamu program. One month ago I was wearing a scarf and eating haggis,
and now I am wearing a sulu and drinking kava.
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| Me, Lauren & Katie wearing our Fjian Best dress at the feast to celebrate the new project |
My role in Silana Village is to assist with the Education Project in Navunisea Primary School, and to kick start the environmental
protection and sustainability program in the village. I did my masters in
community engagement with the environment and environmental ethics, so the
position GVI offered me was a dream come true.
Since being here, a lot of volunteers and villagers have
asked me why I chose to come, and why GVI? The answer is pretty simple, really.
After traveling in isolated areas of Siberia and Mongolia on the
Trans-Siberian, my eyes were opened to the reality of small villages and how
much I could make a difference through education. I was inspired to use my
experience and knowledge in areas where the resources I have taken for granted
for so long, are not so readily available. It is GVI’s mission to empower communities
to live healthy, sustainable lives through education, and I couldn’t support
that ethos more.
My first week in the village has warped my sense of time
completely. I feel so comfortable here with the community and school; it’s like
I have been here for months already. Walking to school every day and saying
good morning to everyone who passes, dancing with the villagers at night as
they play music and drink kava, and having dinner with my newly appointed
Fijian family. My “mother” has already invited me on boat trips, to her farm,
and promised to teach me how to weave bamboo mats.
The project in Silana is coming into full swing, and
watching the volunteers interact with the students is amazing. Even after
school, our time with the children continues as we play with them on the beach
and explore our surroundings together. One of my favorite moments so far was
when a few volunteers and I walked along the shore with some village children.
We each grabbed a hermit crab that naturally recoiled back in its shell. The
volunteers and I put the crabs down, hoping they would eventually come back
out, but the children knew better. They each took their hermit crab and started
whistling into the shell, and like snake charmers, coaxed the hermit crabs out
with their simple tune. It was incredible to watch, and I can honestly say I
had no idea hermit crabs enjoyed whistling.
It’s become very apparent to me that while I’m here in
Silana, I may be working to educate the community and children, but they will
be teaching me just as much. I couldn’t be more excited to see where this next
year leads, and the close relationships I’ll make with volunteers, and the
community in Silana Village.
Kendra White - Community Project Leader
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