USP Student Volunteer Scheme Kicks Off to a great Start

The USP Student Volunteer Scheme has been reactivated this year by the University of the South Pacific, under the guidance and management of the Pro Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching, Dr Eci Nabalarua.

One of the first volunteers in 2010 to participate in the Volunteer Scheme were the members of the Tourism And Hospitality Students Association (TAHSA). The group visited the ‘Homes of Hope’ on Saturday 29 May, 2010. The volunteers comprised of 27 current TAHSA members and included regional and international students from the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Korea and China, one University staff member and six staff members from the ANZ bank Laucala Campus branch.

Upon arrival at the ‘Homes of Hope’ the volunteers began with a brief introduction of the USP Student Volunteer Scheme and TAHSA. The supervisor of the Home then identified the areas that needed cleaning and other work to be done. The student volunteers were divided into groups accordingly, and with their sleeves rolled up, they set off to work immediately.

With the scheme fully funded by the Vice-Chancellor’s office, the volunteers had purchased tools and equipment to assist them with their work and were able to meet all their expenses, and even going the extra mile, by purchasing some stationery for the primary school which is run by the Home for the children of the Home. The student volunteers were able to clean and work on the following:

- The Basketball and Tennis courts
- The Tool Shed
- The Vegetable Gardens
- Drains
- The Kitchen and Bakery
- Flower beds
- Area near the entrance to the Home
- The Farm and incinerator

“You have brought a smile to our faces and showed us that we are not totally forgotten by society”. Those were the words of sentiment and appreciation shared by Ms Kalara Aditukuna, a parent at the ‘Homes of Hope’.

According to the both the Vice-President of TAHSA, Parijata Singh and Lanieta Sunaki, the Head of the Volunteer Committee, the experience at the ‘Homes of Hope’ brought about a strong sense of community spirit and showed them that as individuals, they needed to be civic‐minded all the time, and even though their ultimate goal at USP is to attain a degree and go out into the world to acquire good jobs, they must always keep their feet grounded by taking care of the less fortunate and those who may have been forgotten by society.

In their report, the student volunteers stated that they had learnt to be proactive and are able to practice multi‐tasking after the experience they shared together. The TAHSA committee says that learning to be leaders is really hard work, but the USP Student Volunteer Scheme is teaching them a great deal about themselves and their abilities, and how important it is to work as a ‘Team’ despite their different cultural backgrounds.

On Saturday 26 June 2010, the Naitasiri Students Association at Laucala Campus, in association with the Sigatoka Sand Dunes Heritage Site travelled to the Sand Dunes in Sigatoka to plant 300 trees. The students left very early that morning because they had a lot to do during the day. They were well received by the locals and the representatives of the Sigatoka Sand Dunes Heritage Site. The students were only too happy to go out and serve the local communities and give something back. The ‘Sand Dunes Team’ of the USP Student Volunteer Scheme also featured on Fiji TV News, later on in the week.

The TAHSA members and the Naitasiri Students Association are fortunate to be the first of the many group of students to participate in the recently ‘reactivated’ USP Student Volunteer Scheme, and have expressed their gratitude to the University, and in particular, the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Learning and Teaching, Dr Eci Nabalarua, for the opportunity to give something back to the local communities and also for the ‘priceless’ experience for their own personal development. As this would be the Pro Vice-Chancellor’s last few days at the University, a few of the students expressed their gratitude to 'Dr Eci' as she is fondly known as, by saying that if there’s any lesson they learnt from her through the USP Student Volunteer Scheme, it’s the great lesson that ‘humility is not a weakness, it’s strength you can draw from’. They also acknowledged the tremendous support by the donors who generously contributed and assisted them with their humble tasks.

Source: USP media