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Family Volunteering
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25.01.2022 First day onsite and off to a flying start. Everyone chipped in, including local men and women from the village and the rugby team provided some extra muscle to get things well and truly moving. Check in tomorrow for photos of the progress so far. The Kindy committee provided amazing local cuisine and our kids joined classes assisting with reading and teaching class 2kids how to do loom bands. It was a great ice breaker. At sport Time they played tunnel ball, rugby and soccer and Amir gave a lesson in AFL. We all spent time doing reading with the classes who were very enthusiastic if not shy at times. Class 1 had very limited English but enthusiastically sang their ABCs and twinkle twinkle little star. Cant wait for another fantastic daytomorrow
25.01.2022 A day of celebration and sports on National Sports Day! More photos to follow.
25.01.2022 Joan and Sophie busy in Class 2.
22.01.2022 Wednesday: Today the playground was transformed with a splash of colour (yellow and white) thanks to Megan, Joan, Donna, a couple of locals and Fraser putting in some brush time. Grant worked hard fixing all the tyres in place.The sign was put in place and and the poles were painted yellow. Byron, Millie and David ran an AFL clinic with class 7/8 and it was a great success, David was worn out! Fraser, Noah, Sophie, and most of the girls did French knitting and gods eyes wool... craft with the students and they really enjoyed making them in the shade of the Friendship Bure. We needed some more tools for construction but there is no Bunnings in Fiji!. After 3 hardware stores Emma and Riley still couldnt find the items we needed. Thankfully, a friendly local who happened to be shopping in the third store offered to go home and get exactly what she needed. Emma and Riley hitched a ride back to the school site with pastor who was kind enough to drop them off right on the schools doorstep! Cass and Kiarra spent the morning teaching grade 2 English and numbers with some card games thrown in. Joan spent some time in the kitchen ladies and helped create fish curry, Indian sweets and more. the afternoon saw Tim coordinate outdoor games and the painting team continued whilst the tyre pieces took shape. An evening spent at Vuda Marina for sunset dinner was the perfect closure to another fun day.
22.01.2022 Students thanking donors for their generosity.
22.01.2022 Ralete PS is located in Moala village and services two villages south of Nadi, near the mouth of the Nadi River. It has 99 students and 25 kindergarten kids. This year we are building a playground for all students and some extra small pieces in the kindy yard as there were some extra poles delivered. The two villages are supplying lots of strong labourers and local catering each day. Noah, Byron, Tarli, Kiarra, Jess and Tane have been attending classes, and Riley has been assisting with construction when he isnt playing rugby with the boys. Today we finished early after pouring the concrete.
21.01.2022 The planning for the 2017 project is well underway. A playground will be constructed at Namara Village School on Wayalailai Island at the southern end of the Yasawa Island Group. Exciting and challenging times ahead for the team as the site has limited power, no nearby hardware store and no cement truck! The school community is very excited as are the Australian team members. Watch this space for updates and photos in July!
21.01.2022 Update on day 3. The site manager, John had to stay home with a bout of gastro but the team persevered with 2IC Geoff taking the reins and making good progress with the construction. Painting was as chaotic but enthusiastic and Christine did a fantastic job of coordinating many enthusiastic kids and adults, some of whom were disappointed at being told the painting was to be left to the students but put their muscles to use moving massive rocks near the nearly completed sandpi...t to be used as stepping stones and seats. There were a few in the team feeling a bit unwell and Emma made the executive decision to let Jacqui and David have an hour after lunch to rest. Jacqui fell asleep to wake up with a crew of kids around her and some lovely ladies from the kindy committee offering water and cordial, and perhaps a few giggles at the lady sleeping on the tarp in the school grounds!!! It was a long tiring day but much was achieved thanks to great teamwork between the volunteers and the locals. Once again dont forget to checkout the blog at http://familyvolunteeringfiji.blogspot.com See more
19.01.2022 Day 5 and it is time to celebrate and enjoy the playground and some traditional Fijian festivities. For everyone who contributed to this project, this is what you helped to create. I have been delayed in posting the update but for the last 6 months these kids have been enjoying facilities that many had never seen before yet alone used. We know it is being well cared for and utilised by the kids. Next year we plan to undertake another project....watch this space for details :)
19.01.2022 Soon to be recipients of a brand new playground thanks to 22 Australian volunteers who will work alongside the local community. Watch this space for updates towards end of June.
18.01.2022 Tuesday: A busy morning on the construction site preparing for the concrete truck. We were all hoping that it would actually make it up the steep entry road as the alternative was going to make it a very very long day. It made it up - and had almost double the quantity which meant we were able to make an impromptu path way to link up some buildings and patch up a few others. Local men and boys were a great help with moving concrete around the site in wheel barrows and Mark go...t particularly dirty slopping around in wet concrete while making the path. It was busy in the kitchen as well Jess and Aimee learning how to make pumpkin curry, roti and an assortment of Indian condiments and sweets. Emmas last minute schoolwork task for the kids had them busy making friends with classmates so they could learn a list of words in both Fijian and Hindi. Aimee, Byron and Jess were recruited to judge students anti-drug posters. Matt had fun in the classrooms and gave the older students a lesson on natural resource management. A game of rugby happened over lunchtime with Donna, Grant and Byron joining in. Painting of poles commenced and lots of willing helpers joined in from the team kids and the school students - keeping us well and truly on schedule for completion by Thursday afternoon. Tim and Matt did a great job tidying up the site and doing some landscaping to minimise the rocky hazards for future users of the playground. Byron and Emma almost completed a bonus side project - a balance board. Lunchtime saw Mark instigate a water fight and at least a couple of kids found themselves dunked in a bucket of water! Most of the donations of stationary, craft materials and teaching resourced were presented to each class this afternoon. Many many thanks to all the donors from school communities, friends and craft groups. An early finish today while the concrete sets created space for an extra swim and dinner at the hotel next door to base.
18.01.2022 Monday: Day one on-site at Hindu Mahasabha School, what an exhausting but a very progressive day! 27 holes dug (through rock!) - thank goodness we had some help from a few locals. The whole team was presented to the school at assembly with a very warm welcome from the principal and students. All ten team kids then set off into their classrooms happily, while Mark had the the kinder kids in fits of laughter. Grandma Joan, Sophie and Donna assisted in the clsssrooms. Noah intro...duced some aboriginal words to the class 2 students. Jess and Millie taught loom bands in the Friendship Bure to what looked like 30 boys and girls! Byron and Aimee taught elastics with Australian songs and volleyball, soccer and endangered species and solar systems on the computers. Kiarra, Cass, Noah and Tane did counting with the grade 2s - great job! Tarli and Cass with Megan helped the ladies cook chicken curry, dahl soup, salad and Indian condiments. Kiarra and Fraser taught Duck, Duck, Goose using Fijian words to overcome some language barriers. Donna had the very difficult job of judging the crazy hats and glasses competition. The hats and glasses were day 1 of the international day against drugs and illegal trafficking. The cold beer and swim at the end of a tough day was very welcome!
17.01.2022 Time for the beach while we await the rest of the team!
16.01.2022 Last year a group of local Melbourne musicians showed their support to the cause with a benefit gig to raise money. Well Im proud to announce Adam Pavitt who orchestrated the gig has released his second album, All The Time, and has headed off to Germany to do some gigs. Watch this space...music video coming soon. Thanks for supporting this fantastic project Adam and best of luck in Germany
15.01.2022 End of project celebrations!
14.01.2022 Day one of construction and we were inundated with help from the locals! Most of the materials and tools have arrived but we are still on schedule. The chief even arrived and had a kava ceremony with Matt and Greg. The kids loved being in the school and making name tags and spinners with the students.
14.01.2022 Sunday: A busy but fun first day for everyone. A quick team meeting after breakfast. Then the men (and Byron) went off to the project site to peg out in preparation for tomorrow. No work could be done before a kava welcoming ceremony (sevusevu) with 8 of the local blokes and then everyone worked together to move poles, peg-out the site and remove some old posts from the site. Two holes were dug in hard rocky ground - that mean two less tomorrow! Crazy back at base - hair brai...ding, preparing craft activities for the week, sorting out the amazingly generous donations from our school communities back home, grocery shopping for the week and redecorating Tarlis new cast.We organised tools, water and first aid kits for the week. Then off to the zip-line at the Sleeping Giant - a drive through local rural areas, villages and forest. Past chickens, cows, horses, sugar-cane, local crops of vegetables and kids bathing in the river. A beautiful afternoon - zip lining through the rainforest, swimming in the rock pools and sliding down the natural waterslide. Followed by 22 burgers at Burger Boss!
13.01.2022 Layout today, construction starts tomorrow!
12.01.2022 Day 4 was a long day with a few people staying back on site until late to complete construction and painting - hence no time or energy for a fb post! Judo lessons, panic about material shortages causing Andrew (who gets seasick) to go back to resort to use workshop to adjust fittings. Photos here.
12.01.2022 Day 5 all work done apart from hanging the sign. We arrived at the school to find a shelter set up in preparation for the celebrations of the opening of the school ground. To add to the festivities the rugby team that has been helping us won their match yesterday and arrived with their trophy. They are now the team to beat! Unfortunately we didnt finish work in time yesterday to see the match in Nadi but did have the chance to congratulate them and enjoy a dance with them :)... An amazing day of celebrations with the kindy kids singing and dancing and a meki - war dance put on by the older kids and man can they move. A feast beyond the imagination was provided with many of the parents and village elders coming along to say their thanks for the playground. A band came along especially to provide music for the occasion. Our kids all joined together as Amir cut the ribbon for the opening. It was the most beautiful sight to see 200 kids enjoying the playground, a sea of colour with the Sleeping Giant mountain in the background. Must say I am still too overwhelmed to give justice to the event. See more
12.01.2022 The fun begins at Ralete primary in Moala village, Fiji.
11.01.2022 Day 3 and progress is clear. Check out the unique painting methods!
10.01.2022 More photos from Friday.
10.01.2022 Better late then never! Here is an update on the project in photos. Day one - everyone getting to work and getting to know each other. Our kids ran classes on loombanding whilst the rugby team and us got to work on the playground.
09.01.2022 they speak for themselves :)
08.01.2022 Day 3 saw lots of painting and more construction. Team Aussie kids did a great job helping Sharynne and Jess in the classrooms with art and craft and singing and story telling. The kindy playground is so close to completion! The main playground still has a lot of assembly to be tackled tomorrow but the majority of painting is done thanks to the assistance of over 14 local volunteers, David and Faye - long term island visitors from QLD and of course the amazing energy and persistence of our team. We enjoyed a smooth boat trip home - a pleasant change from the past couple of days of rough seas. Stay tuned for completion photos this time tomorrow!
07.01.2022 Another fantastic day. We had plenty of help from locals again which was much needed with the cement arriving. 200 kids came out to watch the process and the school was quieter than it has been since we got there as they watched in amazement. We had the opportunity today to read with the classes aswell as other activities like rugby, duck duck goose and the incredibly popular loom bands. The kids did an amazing job of running classes of reading and teaching how to make loom ...bands. Rahima ran a class on her own with kids older than her and gave the bracelet she made to the student she found to be best behaved. so proud of all the kids for how they have adjusted and got involved. Issues with uploading photos but promise you will be inundated very soon! Checks out the blog at http://familyvolunteeringfiji.blogspot.com/ Thank you to all that have contributed their time and money to this project. Such an incredible outpouringof support, we have received another $50 donation. Thank you all! We will certainly be working hard to make it all worthwhile :) See more
07.01.2022 Day 4 saw John still not feeling 100% and Geoff leading construction. Mark, as has been the case since the beginning with all our kids and the local kids has been a hit! They wear him out more than all the construction work he is doing! Wherever he is there is bound to be some little ones not too far away.Christine was put in charge of coordinating painting efforts again today as she had done such a good job of it and her Megan and Emma also took turns of guarding the playgro...und whilst the paint was drying. All new better than to put Jacqui in charge as there would be blue and white little feet marks everywhere as she has no control when they flash their beautiful smiles. Megan and Tim aswell as being fantastic workers have also been great supports with all the crazy kids we bought on the trip, you are always sure to find them back at work first after a break. Kylie and Jen have done great work in the kinda room aswell as in construction, super women flying here there and everywhere. Stewart joined the group a day later but got go work and is always willing to lend a hand and when Riley isnt out playing rugby with the locals, he can be found wrestling with Amir and Tane. Emma is just all over it with a great attitude throughout. Today we finished construction and painting. A Class,7 boy is on the job of signwriting and his artistic skills are incredible. It was amazing seeing all the kids on the playground. Megan and Jacqui did interviews with 2 year 7 girls, Erin the daughter of one of the kindy committee and Mr Melee, the head teacher. It was wonderful to see the gender equality In the village. We will be posting this soon. One great outcome Mr Melee told us was that this week they have had 100% attendance at school and he expects the playground will help improve overall attendance. Please understand that everyday is incredibly busy with getting up very early and lots of physical work throughout the day and exhaustion weighs in. Lots more detail will be provided, we take lots of photos and videos but given kids range from 2 to 16 we are all kept very busy and there maybe some delays in getting them all to your but it will happen soon. Check out the blog too. Finals morthay
06.01.2022 Friday: What an end to a fantastic week! We started the morning with a kava drinking ceremony. Donna reported the taste of Kava as salty, tangy mud with an after-taste of plastic! It made our lips tingle! From there we went into the lovely set up classrooms for the official speeches and entertainment. We were entertained by a beautiful Indian dancer (the girls were all staring opened mouthed) then the older kids did a Fijian dance and Mark couldnt help himself - he had to g...et up and boogie with them and before we knew it we were all dancing!! Gifts were exchanged by both sides then it was time for the ribbon cutting and the official opening of the "Magic Park". What a sight - smiling, happy, excited kids using the playground we built! Next was sports for National Sports Day, there was ball in bucket races, ball in the cone relay, and good old fashioned sack races. All the kids played well and interacted with the Fijians harmoniously. The big kids (us) then had a game of soccer with the students, Donnas team won 3 to 2 thanks to Donnas 2 goals! Then it was time for the students versus the Aussies in a game of soccer, it was a great game the Aussies won by a penalty default and took home the trophy!! Meanwhile Donna, Sophie, Emma and Joan were playing volleyball with the local women who were amazing players - Donna and Emma have bruises trying to keep up with them
04.01.2022 Thursday: We did it! We whipped up a playground in 4 days. A flurry of activity today to construct the final pieces of equipment, complete the painting, facilitate a rules workshop with students, arrange the signwriter, tidy up the site. While all this was going on, the team was also involved in cooking custard pie, chicken stir-fry, cassava chips, dahl and more. They worked with students in the classroom, taught craft activity to some classes, football skills and other games on the sports field and our kids created some beautiful thank you cards to present tomorrow. The staff presented John with a huge chocolate cake for his birthday. The evening saw a game of capture the flag in the pool followed by a movie night. John and Emma even managed a romantic birthday dinner at the local Japanese restaurant.
04.01.2022 Day in photos. As you can see this is definitely a community project with everyone lending a hand as they can from construction to sport to classroom activities.
03.01.2022 Tuesday was a good day on construction and all our helpers are getting into a good grove. We have realised some of them have never even used a power tool before so they have really enjoyed learning about the way Australians use tools and how to construct a playground. The kids have had a great day in the school again making spinners with years 1/2 and 3/4, Gods eyes with year 5/6, giving an English lesson to year 7/8, and teaching the kindy kids hand clapping games. After ...lunch the whole school brushes their teeth and was horrified to find out Emily doesnt brush her teeth AT SCHOOL but her mother assures us she brushes at home. The kindy kids are so excited and every time the chainsaw made a sound they would jump up with excitement! Our teams favourite quote of a year 7 girl was that "she went to bed dreaming of playing with her friends on the playground". See more
02.01.2022 Check out video of last years project at Sabeto District School.
