Dawasamu Community Project – Fiji

The Dawasamu Community Project offers a rare opportunity to join long-running, community-led development work in a traditional Fijian village — far from the resort coast. Based in Silana, a remote coastal village on Viti Levu, the project has been active since the early 2010s, building genuine continuity with local communities in the Dawasamu and Bureiwai districts. Volunteers are welcomed as part of the community, contributing to work that the villages themselves have identified as priority rather than arriving with an external agenda.

The project focuses on children's learning and development, early childhood education, health and nutrition, gender equality, and rainwater harvesting and water security. Fieldwork runs Monday to Friday, around 35 hours per week, delivered in partnership with local schools and the Silana Women's Group. No prior experience or qualifications are required — a full orientation and training are provided on arrival covering safeguarding, local context, and health and safety.

Volunteers stay at a shared hub on the edge of the village, taking turns preparing simple communal meals based on local staples.