Think Pacific - Fiji Volunteering Program

UPDATE 2:

We did it. and it was rough. As someone with zero hiking experience, it was not easy in the slightest. I cried a lot and I felt like giving up, and I definately would not have done it without my boyfriend. Despite that, I am incredibly proud of myself for doing it.

It was a rough 5 hour climb, a lot of it was through icy and thick snow, and the last 45 minutes was an awfully steep ascend up frozen over snow, where I felt like I couldn’t do it. 

But when I saw the little stone hut, I couldn’t help but genuinely cry of happiness. This was one of the hardest but best things I’ve ever done my whole life. 

I will have a whole post dedicated on my instagram if you are interested in seeing more beautiful videos we got : Gab1eden 

UPDATE:

As of writing this, it is 8PM on 23/03/2024, and I am getting ready to hike up Ben Nevis,,, tomorrow ! we only arrived about 3 hours ago but due to the weather only being nice tomorrow we have no other choice but to do it then ! 

Get to know me!

My name is Gabi, I'm a 2nd year student at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, studying Crime & Investigative Studies. I've always felt like, as much as I love university, I had missed out on amazing opportunities that my peers had taken during their gap years, like traveling the world and volunteering.

During one of my tutorials, my lecturer told me about the opportunity to volunteer in Fiji to help the local communities with a charity called Think Pacific. I knew immediately I had to apply, and after filling out an application, having interviews, and a painfully tense waiting period, I was accepted! I got accepted for a month-long volunteering program under the name of 'Youth Empowerment' in the Fiji islands, and now need your help to fundraise the money to help me attend!

Who is Think Pacific?

Think Pacific has been operating since 2009 and has taken over 8000 volunteers to the Fiji islands and Bali since then. What makes them stand out is that they are working hand in hand with the Fijian government and many other governing bodies such as the Ministry of Health and Education. With the help of volunteers like myself, Think Pacific has been able to raise over 15 Million Dollars for Fiji, a beautiful island that is faced with many problems daily.

The volunteers aim to support the Fiji National Development Plan and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. There are 6 main topics to tackle during this project which include :

Mental Health

Physical Health

Public Health

Environment and Climate

Leadership

Enterprise

The unpredictable climate, stigmatization of mental health, and the number of deaths caused by NCDs in Fiji are all issues that we aim to tackle to improve the livelihood of the Fijian youth and families. Many families live in extreme poverty, and education rates are low, with only 65% of children being enrolled in school at the primary level, with that dropping to a shocking 33% on the Secondary Level. One of our aims is to show, not only the importance, but the joy of education and learning, and hopefully increase the number of children who want to go on to get further education.

There is also an important focus on physical and public health and the importance of a healthy mind and healthy body. Around 80% of the deaths in Fiji are caused by non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, etc. It is important to highlight the urgency of improving the public health and facilities available as well as staying active, which can significantly help improve someone's quality of life.

Fiji also has one of the largest suicide rates in the whole world, and mental health is very taboo over there. We want to decrease the stigma and encourage the Fijian youth to talk about their feelings and their worries before it's too late.

Of course, we cannot only focus on what we will be giving them, the learning experiences we can get from them are inexplicable, and the mutual cultural-learning will be a lifetime lesson.

Why I need your help!

This once in a lifetime opportunity, of course, comes at a cost. Specifically £2000 to be paid directly to Think Pacific, with a large chunk of that going into the rural villages where we will be staying, helping support the local communities, as well as to the Fijian government which can invest it into certain ministries to try to increase the quality of life. On top of that, there are also the costs of flights, travel insurance, and all other costs, for which I have been graciously granted a bursary from my university which is hopefully able to cover most of those things as well as the GoFundMe fees. If by some miracle any more money is raised, I will use it to buy supplies for the children living in those communities, and anymore will be donated directly to Think Pacific themselves.

The Challenge: Ben Nevis

If you have previously read this, and noticed that the goal has changed, you would be right! We decided that we had to go big or go home, and thus changed from Scafell Pike to Ben Nevis.

I decided that, as a challenge to earn the donations, I would be hiking up Ben Nevis, the highest and most prominent mountain in the UK. I have very little hiking experience, in fact, close to none. I decided to undertake this challenge as I think it would be a fantastic opportunity, as well as good preparation for the physical challenges of Fiji. The hike is predicted to take between 6-8 hours, with an elevation of 1345 metres. I am hoping to take this hike in the last week of March, as a preliminary date but due to living on the other side of the country, and the unpredictable British weather, this will occur anywhere between March 23rd - April 7th (University Easter break). (I will attempt to document all prep, the climb, and donations on one of my social media accounts which I will disclose closer to the time). I will have my lovely boyfriend, a mountaineering fanatic, supporting me with this challenge, and I hope I can count on you too!

Vinaka ! ( Thank you )