Our new virtual internship program, has a very real local impact
Did you know over 50% of the program fees for our new online programs support our charity and partnership programs in Fiji? This enables our charity to help with capacity building, supporting grassroots organisations and training of local people.
So just by enrolling on one of our projects, our interns make a phenomenal difference on a global scale.
We’d like to tell you a little bit more about what this contribution will mean in Fiji
Making a sustainable difference
As an NGO in Fiji, Think Pacific is focused on sustainability. We see our role as supporting and uplifting local people to achieve their ambitions. This includes:
- Providing training schemes to local people
- Funding scholarships
- Providing local internships
- Facilitating grass roots community groups, charities and organisations to reach their potential
- Supporting local empowerment and job creation for Fijian youths
- Furthering advocacy surrounding messages of public health, mental health, sports development and enterprise at rural community level.
- Helping communities to fund infrastructure project, which come from local ideas, local decision making, local creation and local management
Why do we focus upon sustainability?
We believe that the most effective and sustainable outcomes can only be achieved by investing in the skills, knowledge and personal ambition of local people. This is especially true of young adults, so they may contribute effectively to local decision-making processes and be the leaders of change in their communities. Our approach is to create a hand up and not just hand outs.
How will donations be used?
Donations from our virtual programs will be used directly to help build a new community health centre in Ra Province, Fiji. With everything going on in the world at the moment, improving access to healthcare is definitely something that will have an immediate impact on the lives of rural Fijians.
Crucially, the project is so much more than just a physical building. it’s the process and long term outcome that is so important. let’s explain why..
How does this project provide sustainable outcomes in Fiji?
The importance of the Process:
- Advocacy = Through the consultation process, local people learn the importance of improving access to health, the importance of using health services for their families and themselves (crucial in a country where traditional beliefs and culture can lead to reluctance in accessing professional medical services for their family)
- Empowerment = Local people achieve the creation themselves, fostering empowerment as they create a legacy in their community.
- Training = We use this a process to train young people in carpentry skills, fostering basic practical skills but also skills in team work, self management, time keeping and communication.
- Role Models = Fijian young people learn from our Fijian building managers, Fijian project managers and local staf – many of whom were once unemployed youth from rural communities also
- Local Need = The project has been highlighted at local level, by local communities as a key need, a local ambition, which can’t be funded by other sources
- National Collaboration = The programme is in collaboration with the Provincial Council and Ministry of Health, which ensures alignment with national aims and the importance of local and national collaboration for local developmen
Local Outcome
- By having a specific clinical building, local nurses are now empowered in their role.
- Local people are now more aware of the medical and health service landscape in Fiji
- Local people are now more motivated to uptake the use of local medical advice and services with a clear focal point.
- Local people gone through a process of consultation and local decision making and empowerment in creating a facility for their community.
- Having a community facility is the first step to local community professionals now being able to access further funding and support for local medical services.
- This is promotes the concept of ‘Healthy people living in healthy settings’ and can reduce majory social issues in Fiji such as high rates of NCDs, being local people using intervention earlier
FNDP and UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Achieves the Fijian National Development Plan = 3.1 “Improving access to health and medical services in Fiji”
- Supports UN Sustainable Development Goals = 3. Health and Wellbeing (Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all ages) and 11. Sustainable Cities & Communities (Make human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable)
Visit our impact page and learn more about how Think Pacific contributes to sustainable development in Fiji.
Vinaka!
To all our interns making this possible, we’d like to say a huge vinaka! (Thank you!)
We hope this post has provided more depth and understanding into how some of your funds shall be used by our charity and how we shall ensure these have a sustainable difference on many different levels.
By simply confirming your place you have already had a bigger impact on the lives of Fijian communities than you will probably ever truly appreciate – so for that, we are forever grateful and genuinely so thankful.
And of course, this is of course, alongside your direct involvement and the great contributions you are about to make during the internship itself as you work on projects to support and add capacity to a range of local communities, organisations or ministry departments as part of a unique and inspiring virtual internship
