In July 2019, I will be undertaking a one month youth education and sport development volunteering project to assist children in rural Fiji. My project supports a small charity, Think Pacific Foundation (1162190) who work in remote villages helping children to access improved education, health, opportunity and infrastructure.

Only 50% of children have access to adequate sanitation and fresh water and 75% of children live below the poverty line! Throughout this government backed programme, we will replenish school resources, provide teacher training, help to rebuild essential facilities and throughout my time, increase standards in education, extracurricular activities and sports. Since Think Pacific’s first project in July 2009, not only has there been a 15% increase in school attendance, there has also been a 40% improvement in literacy and I hope to add to this! I will be spending quality teaching time with each student, and I hope to help them improve and I hope to inspire them to dream big.

Despite the welcoming nature and happiness of Fiji’s local people, over one third of children in Fiji grow up in poverty, living on less than one dollar a day. During my stay, I will be living with a local Fijian family and will be experiencing the basic Fijian way of living first hand, from sleeping on the floor to showering with a cold bucket of water. This is going to be a big eye-opening challenge but I can’t wait to immerse myself fully in their way of living and their culture.

On the 4th May, I have signed myself, my sister Hema and my dad Raj, to run in the 5K Tough Mudder in Henley-on-Thames to help support my fundraising - Hem is asthmatic so this could be fun!

Any donations, no matter how small, will massively help the children in Fiji that I will be living with and teaching.

If you want to find out more about the project I will be undertaking please follow this link: https://thinkpacific.com/

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your support.

Love Anya x