Orphanage Care in Fiji

Unlike being on a typical holiday, I loved being immersed in Fijian culture by living and working with local people. It’s a really special way to get to know a place! I wasn’t sure how I would deal emotionally with volunteering at an orphanage, but I was pleasantly surprised by how happy and well loved the children were. It was a relatively small orphanage with only nineteen children and therefore the carers (aka “nana’s”) could make it a homely environment. I was touched by what I saw during my time in Fiji. I feel that Fijian people really value their community and are very grateful for what they have, even if it’s just enough to get by. It was nice to be reminded of these values while enjoying the beautiful Fijian hospitality, weather and music. Just like all of the previous volunteers have said, Masi and Mere were lovely to stay with! I felt very comfortable from the first night I landed in Fiji. It was nice having the lounge and dining area to hang out with the other volunteers and it was always a pleasure to come home to a lovely home-cooked dinner prepared by Mere each day! Mere also helped me to purchase a local SIM and travel card and oriented me to Lautoka town so that I could independently travel to the orphanage each day. While I was able to assist with the day-to-day activities at the orphanage, I feel it would have been more beneficial if I had contacted the Home through IVI to discuss if there was something specific that they needed assistance with. This would have allowed me to better prepare my time and resources before arriving. I really enjoyed my time in Fiji and appreciated your help with organizing the trip

Highlights of the trip: – Meeting all the children. In particular joining them at meals times and getting to know them. – I had collected 22.5kgs of craft supplies to take over for the children. We had craft sessions together where we let our imagination run wild and created all sorts! It was great to see the children being creative with all the supplies I had managed to source. – During my stay I became part of the family of my host. She exposed me to what it really is like to be part of a FIjian family. Whilst I was there her uncle in law passed away and I was able to attend the funeral and burial with her and her family. This was an amazing cultural experience for me. – As a result of the cyclone there were people within the community that had lost their homes. Outside of the orphanage work, Mila, my host also helps the community. We went and visited a family who had lost their home which was a very humbling experience. She has managed to find donors to build them a new house which will be able to withstand future cyclones. Comments on the team, food and accommodation: – My host was the director of the orphange which made it very easy to integrate into the team and living arrangements. – All team members are very lovely. However, you need to put yourself out there and keep asking them for things to do to make the most of your time. Talk to everyone and have a go at everything. – Food was great. We ate mostly local food. They were generally able to cater for my gluten intolerance which was appreciated. – Accomodation was beautiful and had everything you need.

The accomodation was great, host family kind, helpful and friendly. Food was great but the experience helping at the orphanage was incredible. Met some beautiful people an experience I won’t forget. The children were so special and the Mamas lovely.