Running for FIJIAN CHILDREN
Tax deductible
Hi guys!
This summer I have been fortunate enough to receive the incredible opportunity to volunteer in a remote village in Fiji and help develop their education system, with the charity organisation Think Pacific. I am extremely excited about this as I feel that I am following in my grandfather’s footsteps who believed that education was the foundation for improving a country’s prosperity and helped fund the education of many children in Haïti.
Why Fiji?
It isn't widely known, but over one third of children in Fiji live on less than one dollar a day with 75% of children living below the poverty line. Distressingly 50% of Fijian children don’t have access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, and only 5% of children receive an early years education in schools that are, at present, in poor condition and lacking basic facilities.
Why Think Pacific?
Think Pacific, an organisation founded in 2004, focuses solely on Fiji. Since they sent out their first 16 volunteers to the island of Moturiki in July 2009, they have supported hundreds of schools and more than 20,000 children and have invested over 3 million dollars in the country. In the schools they have supported, they have achieved a 15% increase in school attendance and a 40% increase in literacy, they have also created 72 kindergartens, and trained more than 40 teachers, in conjunction with their partners at the Ministry of Education. Their community driven action plans in line with government aims, have made them one of the most respected charities in the country.
What will I do?
Whilst taking part in their projects, all volunteers are completely immersed in Fijian life and culture and therefore living in back-to-basics conditions, with cold bucket showers, poor sanitation facilities, eating traditional food, and sleeping on a mat in a simple wooden and tin house. As a volunteer, my time in the Fijian village will be spent helping to set up an educational programme, providing opportunities for children to learn and grow, and laying the foundation for long-term projects. We’ll help improve toilet and sanitation facilities, build school boarding accommodation, staff rooms and kindergarten classrooms if required, though our time will be mainly spent teaching children literacy and numeracy skills, and helping to lead sport sessions and extracurricular activities, increasing sports participation, promoting inclusion and instilling aspiration as well as to promoting health.
How I plan to raise the money
I haven’t been running for long, and though I had the goal of running a half marathon - and then hopefully a marathon - at some point in my life, I didn’t see it in my near future. But then this opportunity to aid in Fijian schools was presented to me and I thought why not now? So I’ve signed up to take on the Richmond half-marathon along the banks of the River Thames on the 5th May this year (which may just about kill me off) in an effort to raise the funds required to partake in this project.
What can you do?
Like a lot of things in life, this opportunity isn’t free, and for this I’m asking you guys for help to raise the funds required for me to be able to travel over there and be a part of this incredible project. I’ll be self-funding the flight costs, but I won’t be able to cover the project cost on my own.
Of this money that I am trying to raise:
30% of it will go directly to the charity to enable it to support schools and communities long term and provide annual resources;
15% will go to project planning which includes, amongst other things, community and school outreach, government planning, management and review;
37% will be direct volunteer costs for things like food, accomodation, village support etcetera;
and the last 18% will go to 24/7 support for volunteers, volunteer recruitment, outreach, expedition leadership, equipment and training.
Anything you can spare would be much appreciated, it doesn’t have to be a lot - a (half-)marathon starts with a single step right? Help me spread the word out about this incredible organisation and let’s take this first step together.
Thanks,
Mattéa :)
https://thinkpacific.com/
https://ranelagh-half-marathon.co.uk/
This summer I have been fortunate enough to receive the incredible opportunity to volunteer in a remote village in Fiji and help develop their education system, with the charity organisation Think Pacific. I am extremely excited about this as I feel that I am following in my grandfather’s footsteps who believed that education was the foundation for improving a country’s prosperity and helped fund the education of many children in Haïti.
Why Fiji?
It isn't widely known, but over one third of children in Fiji live on less than one dollar a day with 75% of children living below the poverty line. Distressingly 50% of Fijian children don’t have access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, and only 5% of children receive an early years education in schools that are, at present, in poor condition and lacking basic facilities.
Why Think Pacific?
Think Pacific, an organisation founded in 2004, focuses solely on Fiji. Since they sent out their first 16 volunteers to the island of Moturiki in July 2009, they have supported hundreds of schools and more than 20,000 children and have invested over 3 million dollars in the country. In the schools they have supported, they have achieved a 15% increase in school attendance and a 40% increase in literacy, they have also created 72 kindergartens, and trained more than 40 teachers, in conjunction with their partners at the Ministry of Education. Their community driven action plans in line with government aims, have made them one of the most respected charities in the country.
What will I do?
Whilst taking part in their projects, all volunteers are completely immersed in Fijian life and culture and therefore living in back-to-basics conditions, with cold bucket showers, poor sanitation facilities, eating traditional food, and sleeping on a mat in a simple wooden and tin house. As a volunteer, my time in the Fijian village will be spent helping to set up an educational programme, providing opportunities for children to learn and grow, and laying the foundation for long-term projects. We’ll help improve toilet and sanitation facilities, build school boarding accommodation, staff rooms and kindergarten classrooms if required, though our time will be mainly spent teaching children literacy and numeracy skills, and helping to lead sport sessions and extracurricular activities, increasing sports participation, promoting inclusion and instilling aspiration as well as to promoting health.
How I plan to raise the money
I haven’t been running for long, and though I had the goal of running a half marathon - and then hopefully a marathon - at some point in my life, I didn’t see it in my near future. But then this opportunity to aid in Fijian schools was presented to me and I thought why not now? So I’ve signed up to take on the Richmond half-marathon along the banks of the River Thames on the 5th May this year (which may just about kill me off) in an effort to raise the funds required to partake in this project.
What can you do?
Like a lot of things in life, this opportunity isn’t free, and for this I’m asking you guys for help to raise the funds required for me to be able to travel over there and be a part of this incredible project. I’ll be self-funding the flight costs, but I won’t be able to cover the project cost on my own.
Of this money that I am trying to raise:
30% of it will go directly to the charity to enable it to support schools and communities long term and provide annual resources;
15% will go to project planning which includes, amongst other things, community and school outreach, government planning, management and review;
37% will be direct volunteer costs for things like food, accomodation, village support etcetera;
and the last 18% will go to 24/7 support for volunteers, volunteer recruitment, outreach, expedition leadership, equipment and training.
Anything you can spare would be much appreciated, it doesn’t have to be a lot - a (half-)marathon starts with a single step right? Help me spread the word out about this incredible organisation and let’s take this first step together.
Thanks,
Mattéa :)
https://thinkpacific.com/
https://ranelagh-half-marathon.co.uk/
Organizer
Mattéa Goalen
Organizer
England
THINK PACIFIC FOUNDATION
Registered nonprofit
Donations eligible for Gift Aid.
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