Volunteer in Australasia and make a meaningful contribution to locally- lead community and climate projects, while putting your practical skills to the test in the remote volcanic wilderness of some of the world’s most beautiful islands.
Our Australasia volunteer programs are based in Fiji.
Volunteers in Australasia can contribute their skills, time and passion to the following projects:
As a volunteer in Australasia, your work across all our projects will be guided by the following core principles:
Our volunteer projects in Australasia are based in rural Fiji.
Fiji, a country in the South Pacific, is an archipelago of more than 300 islands. It’s famed for rugged volcanic islands, palm-lined beaches and colourful coral reefs. Most of the population can be found on the country’s two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Our base is located in Dawasamu – pronounced: DA-WA-SAH-MOO – in the east of Viti Levu, which is also home to the capital city, Suva.
Dawasamu is a district dotted with traditional Fijian settlements that have limited sources of income and remain relatively untouched by the tourist industry. The livelihoods, economies, and ways of life of the people in these villages depend almost exclusively on the environment and natural resources found both on land and at sea – primarily subsistence fishing. The importance of protecting these resources through sustainable management is crucial, especially as the threat of climate change looms.
Once on base, volunteers’ first few days with us will be spent training. This includes a breakdown of GVI’s rules and regulations, an introduction to Fijian culture, and a tour of the village you will be calling home for the duration of your stay.
Volunteers in Australasia will have a chance to explore the sights, sounds and secrets of this beautiful island nation. Below is a taste of the experiences and adventures on offer in Australasia.
Volunteers in Australasia have the opportunity to focus on any of the following crucial community development projects:
Our community partner in Fiji is the District Nurse’s office. Public health volunteers in Fiji will work closely with local community health workers on the following health, nutrition and sanitation priorities:
We have several opportunities for volunteers in Australasia who want to work in and research early childhood development, or focus more generally on teaching. The projects may vary depending on your specific focus, but they are orientated towards the following core goals:
Volunteers in Australasia focused on working with children will be provided with special training on the science behind early childhood development. All training and support is provided by our own local field staff. Additionally, volunteers will always be accompanied by local community members and project partners to facilitate these sessions.
Safety is our number one priority. We take several steps to ensure children remain safe, healthy and protected across all our programs. This is part of our broader mission
to ensure that ethical best practices are upheld to protect all youth involved while empowering local communities.
At GVI:
This international development internship offers you the opportunity to get involved in a host of sustainable development initiatives, the goals and priorities of which are discussed and determined in collaboration with the local community of the Dawasamu District. Each project is also aligned to one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The core focuses of our sustainable development project in Fiji include:
Working with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and local community leaders, volunteers in Australasia will focus on a range of sustainable measures to protect the most valuable of natural resources – water. Your work will include:
Anyone over 18 (including college students and gap year students), people on a career break, and older adults can join our Australasia community development volunteering or internship programs at just about any time throughout the year.
If you’re under 18 and want to join a community development volunteering program, we offer a wide selection of opportunities all over the world. You can find more information on our teens volunteering page.
Extremely safe. We take every precaution to make sure our participants live and work safely, no matter where they are in the world. We have trained support staff on hand 24 hours a day to ensure that all participants across all our programs are well taken care of.
You can speak directly to one of our enrolment officers or alumni, who can answer any and all questions you might have about life in Fiji or life on the GVI base.
GVI’s programs are compliant with rigorous ethical guidelines. We employ on the ground ethics officers to ensure that our projects follow rigorous and current best practices and standards. We are governed by our ten ethical principles and five human empowerment principles. We also hold a badge of ethics – our dedication to continuously reflect on and improve our policies and practices.
Each of our programs is aligned to one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
You can read about the work we’ve done with the help of volunteers and interns like you in our Impact and Ethics Report.
GVI is a British Standards 8848 compliant provider.
Our volunteers in Australasia live in shared bures (traditional huts). You’ll live and work with other volunteers, interns and GVI staff from all over the world. Living in an international community such as this with like-minded individuals is why many of our participants leave our programs with life-long friends.
Welcome! Click here to enquire or apply. One of our trusty enrolment officers will take it from there.