Gap for Good: Fiji Highlands
Program Dates: Open Enrollment from September 2nd, 2010 through May 26th, 2011
Country Where Program is Located: The Fiji Islands
Location of Program: Nasivikoso Village, Nasouri Highlands

Description of Program:
The Nasouri Highlands area of Fiji is one of the regions most in need of aid. Take on this Gap for Good placement and assist in early childhood education at the Nasivikoso Village Kindergarten, lead enrichment activities such as art and sports at a local primary school, and run homework help sessions for students to help them prepare for the future. The interior of Fiji’s main island is home to many indigenous villages with vital and beautiful traditions, yet it has some of the lowest living standards in the country. Students often have to walk long distances to elementary school or start boarding at school as first graders in order to get the education they need.

Join us on this Gap for Good placement in the village of Nasivikoso, which has been a home to Rustic Pathways volunteers for well over a decade. In fact, Rustic Pathways very first community service project was to construct a kindergarten here, and you will assist in the continuation of this project by providing support to the school’s teacher. You will spend each morning providing extra help to students as they learn their ABCs and build a strong foundation for future education. Villagers here speak their native Fijian at home, but all schools in Fiji are taught in English, so it is critical that children build a strong foundation in English early on if they hope to succeed in their studies.

There is no elementary school in Nasivikoso, so on two afternoons each week you will walk as all students here do, to the neighboring village school in Wouosi to lead enrichment programs. Using your interests and skills you will develop arts, sports, English, or reading programs for these students. You can also lead homework help sessions for students in the village during the evenings.

When you arrive in Nasivikoso, a host family will adopt you for the duration of your stay. You will instantly feel welcomed and share many laughs with your new brothers and sisters and momos and nenes in the village. The Fijians are warm and friendly and will be so thrilled to have you. You can choose to either sleep each night with your host family or to stay at our Base House in the village. You will eat your meals here at the Base (no more than a few minutes walk from any home in the village) prepared by a local friend and you will learn how to prepare some local dishes as you immerse yourself in village life. You’ll need to help with daily chores such as collecting firewood for cooking or picking fruits and crops from the fields for the day’s meals. In your free time, take hikes with your new friends through bamboo forests to waterfalls and caves. Learn how to weave traditional mats, spear fish in the river, and join in local ceremonies. Sit around the traditional kava bowl, hear stories from the past and sing and laugh as villagers sing their favorite local songs.

This Gap for Good placement gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in a traditional culture filled with warm traditions and the friendliest of villagers. Please be ready for very basic living standards and the chance to serve in a place that could really use your help and that will surely benefit from what you have to share!
Where will the student join the program: Students will be met at the Nadi airport at the start of this placement and will then take a small carrier truck to the village, about a 3 hour drive. Students will have the opportunity to stop in the town of Nadi before the drive to get any local supplies, snacks, phone cards or other items they might need.

Suggested Service Projects Available on this Program:

Project 1: Kindergarten Helper
Description of Service: Gap For Good volunteers will provide classroom assistance to the kindergarten teacher, enabling individualized work and extra assistance for students.
Location of project: The Nasivikoso Village Kindergarten is located just a few steps from the center of the village.
Dates: Open Enrollment from September 2nd, 2010 through May 26th, 2011
Hours Per Week for this Project: 15 hours a week;9am-12pm Monday – Friday.
Transport to project location from program location: Volunteers can easily walk to the project site.
Notes: Basic art supplies can be purchased in country and will be necessary for some projects.

Project 2: After-School Enrichment
Description of Service: Led art, sports or extra-help sessions for students at the Wouosi Primary School.
Location of Project: Wouosi Primary School is a one-hour walk from Nasivikoso Village and the school that most children from Nasivikoso attend.
Transport to Project Location from Program Location: Gap for Good volunteers will walk to Wouosi Primary School.
Dates: Open Enrollment from September 2nd, 2010 through May 26th, 2011
Hours Per Week for this Project: 3-4 hours per week; approx. 1:30-3:15pm Tuesday and Thursday
Notes: Basic art supplies and sport equipment.

Project 3: Homework Assistance
Description of Service: Gap for Good volunteers will lead evening homework help sessions for students on Monday and Wednesday evenings.
Location of Project: Rustic Pathways Base House in Nasivikoso Village
Transport to project location from program location: Project can be done at program site.
Dates: Open Enrollment from September 2nd, 2010 through May 26th, 2011
Hours Per Week: 4 hours per week; 6-8pm Monday and Wednesday

Project 4: Micro Enterprise Farm Project
Description of Service: This project is dependent on the growing season (mid-late September, March-May). During these times, Gap for Good volunteers may assist with planting of fruits and vegetables at the Highlands Grown Farm, which was started by four brothers from Nasivikoso. With a small loan, they were able to purchase bulls to plow their fields and seeds to expand the use of their native lands. They now provide fruits and vegetables for Rustic Pathways students during the summer. Learn more about this project and micro finance initiatives as you learn how to plant papaya trees or harvest pineapples.
Location of project (proximity to program location): Highlands Grown Farm in Narabraba, about 45 minutes walk from village of Nasivikoso
Transport to project location from program location: Walking
Dates: Mid-late September 2009, March-May 2010.
Hours Per Week: 2-4 hours a week, depending on the season

Accommodations: Gap for Good volunteers will be assigned a host family in the village of Nasivikoso and will have the option of sleep with at the host families home or at the Rustic Pathways Base in the Village. Accommodations are basic and there is no electricity or indoor plumbing in the village. There are flush toilets located outside family homes and communal water taps throughout the village. A couple of cold water showers are available but students will likely bathe in the river (biodegradable soap is a must). Students who opt to live with their host family will have either a bed or a mattress on the floor where they will sleep. Most houses here consist of one large room and students’ beds are typically in an area blocked off with curtains for privacy. Our Rustic Pathways Base House in the village is a house built in traditional fashion with two small bedrooms and students can elect to sleep in one of these rooms, depending on space available. Students will be assigned a host family regardless of sleeping accommodations chosen, and will find themselves quickly adopted and cared for with incredible Fijian hospitality.

Climate: Fiji has a tropical climate with temperatures in the 80s-90s most days of the year. The dry season runs from May – November with lower humidity and rain is rarely seen. From November-April days are more humid and rain more likely. The height of the rainy season is in January and February.

Medical Facilities Available: There is a small nursing station in the village of Bukuya, about 45 minutes from Nasivikoso Village were this program is based. Larger medical facilities are approximately 2.5-3 hours drive in the town of Nadi and city of Lautoka.

Food available: Students will eat their meals at the Rustic Pathways Base House. A local villager will cook meals here for the Gap for Good student each day and students are encouraged to help and learn how to cook local dishes in traditional local style over a small fire.

Cell phone reception: There is no cell phone reception in this area. There are telephones in the village, and you can use local calling cards to make both local and international calls.

Availability of Internet: There is no Internet access in the village.

Laundry: Your host family will happily show you how to wash your laundry, which is typically washed in the river and hung to dry.

Local Contact/managing local staff: Jone Nagodrolevu and Ana Dugulele
Program leader/Managing Director: Ann Fuller (Ann@rusticpathways.com)

Optional Activities: There are lots of great hikes in this area – to waterfalls and caves, through bamboo forests and up and down grassy hillsides. Students can also learn how to weave traditional mats, participate in traditional kava ceremonies and enjoy the relaxing life in the village.

Medical Requirements:All students must consult their doctor for suggested precautions to take when traveling.