Fiji

30 Years Experience

IVI is an Australian charity & non profit organisation founded in 1989 and is one of the pioneers of overseas volunteering successfully placing over 20,000 volunteers globally.  We accept volunteers from all over the world and place them in meaningful overseas missions.  

Affordable Volunteer Travel

Fiji is an incredible island nation in the South Pacific home to warm waters, beautiful scenery, unique culture and generous hospitality. With 15+ project options & 30 years experience, IVI have something that’s uniquely right for you. From conscious travelers to students, graduates and professionals live like a local and help give back with amazing 24/7 local care and support through our dedicated IVI Fiji Country Management.

An archipelago of 330 tropical islands, Fiji is one of the most developed Pacific Island economies however, a chronic lack in investment and under-employment pose obstacles to sustainable and equitable economic growth in Fiji.

More than 250,000 people in the Fiji islands live in poverty and many more Fijians live on or just above the poverty line. Efficient delivery in health care, in education, in work opportunities and other social services are incredibly difficult in Fiji.

A great disparity exists between the working class communities and the multi-national owned tourism resorts which represent approx 25% of Fiji’s Gross domestic product. Sadly, much of the wealth generated from this sector does not filter down to the local communities.

IVI have a well established program in Fiji build by local Fijian’s with in depth understanding of the local needs. We have a have a variety of skilled and non skilled volunteering options for anyone seeking to live like a local far away from the trendy monotonous tourist resorts.

Fiji enjoys a hot and humid climate year round. Average temperatures range from 25°C to 30°C.

May to October is considered one of the best time to visit, as it’s the dry season. The wet season is from November to April. The island will recieve heavy rain, but in short outbursts. In July and August, temperatures can fall to as low as 18°C, making it a pleasent time to visit for those who enjoy cooler weather! 

The Fijian people have a strong sense of their own culture and customs and highly developed sense of honor. The locals are generally very friendly and welcoming. Within Fijian villages, tribal alliances are still intact and money does not play a significant role in their daily lives. Visitors are not always accustomed to the slow work pace (they call it “Fiji time”). Do not worry too much about this, just go with the flow!

Nadi is the main tourist hub with lots of back-packers places and night life. It’s also well known for for Denerau Marina where many large 5 star resorts are and western style shopping. Denerau is the gateway to the Fiji islands, which is the most popular choice for most holiday goers’ to Fiji. We’ll likely take you here and show you around as part of the orientation or if you’re heading out to the remote island teaching placement.

Lautoka, located 20 min north of Nadi, is a lovely and safe working class harbour city with many areas to explore (eg. hiking trails, mud pools etc). You will be spending time in the working class areas where the genuine needs exist.

Suva, the largest city in Fiji is located in the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu and is a harbor city built on a peninsula reaching out into the sea. As the commercial hub of Fiji it’s not as touristy as the Nadi area and therefore you’re able to observe the authentic fiji lifestyle.

Coral Coast is noted as the ‘adventure capital of Fiji’ and is located about 1 hour from Suva and 1 hour from Nadi. It is known for it’s incredibly beautiful coast line, tourist beaches and resorts and heaps of activities from 4 wheel drive tours, shark feeding, surfing, rivers & waterfalls, golf etc and is home to the famous Bega lagoon and bega fire walkers. Sigatoka is the gateway to the Coral coast and home to several of our projects. 

We have a dedicated and experienced team on the ground and a large network of host families and ground operators in various parts of the country. Accommodation and Meals are included for the duration of your volunteer program. 3 meals a day on weekdays and 2 meals a day on weekends will be provided for the duration of your placement. Food will be mainly western style cuisine with a Fijian and Indian influence.

IVI’s Fiji Placements are broken into 2 types being Home Stays or Volunteer Centers:

Our Home Stay placements are mainly located in Lautoka and Nadi and surrounding islands & villages. Home Stays are a beautiful and affordable way to experience the authentic way of life. We guarantee friendly, safe and comfortable surroundings where you’ll be supported as much or as little as you need. If you’re concerned about living in someone else’s house, don’t worry! There will be other volunteers there with you (normally around 2 – 4 p/house). 

Our Volunteer House placements are located in both Suva and Sigatoka (Coral Coast). The Volunteer Houses are more social experiences and dedicated to those who want lots of social interaction with other volunteers.

Meals are served at your home stay or volunteer house each day or at the project site. Our host families take great satisfaction in feeding you well! Fijian portions tend to be very generous and you’ll have a good variety of options if staying on the mainland. Typical meals are as follows:

Breakfast – Wheatbix, cornflakes, bread, butter, tea, coffee, milo etc. Volunteers can choose to have eggs if they wish.
Lunch – Volunteers to prepare their own sandwich. Tuna, cold meat, salad, eggs. Some prefer to take left over dinner from the night before for lunch.
Dinner – Cooked meal (eg. stews, soups, curries, fish, roast vegetables, taro, sweet potato, bread, rice etc. Our host families are also fantastic cooks and love cooking for you!

The Home Stay placements involve a simple and effective orientation which includes a tour of the local area and an overview of the project including any necessary permits, paperwork and logistics. In most cases you will have 1 to 2 days to ease your way into the culture and settle into your new surrounds before commencing in your designated program.

The Volunteer Center placements also have a 1 day orientation or you can choose to do a dedicated orientation week to get you familiar with the Fijian culture. Orientation is hosted in either Suva or the Coral Coast depending on where you’ve chosen to stay. It begins on the first Monday morning of your volunteer program and includes an Introduction to Fiji, culture and customs, local excursions, cooking and art, rules and expectations, safety, introduction to the project and placement. 

For home stay placements, arrival and departure airport transfers are included in the cost of your volunteer program for a pick-up from Nadi to the Nadi / Lautoka areas. 

Transportation to/from your home stay to the placement each day is generally your responsibility, however your home stay family will assist you and ensure you receive local rates for any costs involved. We’ll place you as close as possible to the placement to limit daily travel times. Expect between 5-30 min each way for a small local transport fee (approx $2 p/day). Travelling by bus in Fiji is an experience of it’s own! 🙂

For volunteer center placements, an arrival airport transfer from Nadi to the Coral Coast or Suva is included for pick-ups on Sundays only. If arriving on other days, you’ll need to make your own way to the placement. 

If arriving on the Saturday, you’ll need to book an extra nights accommodation in advance at a cost of US$50 p/night including meals. Travel time by bus between Nadi and Suva is approx 3-4 hours, or 2 hours to Coral Coast. Local travel to the projects each day is included it the cost of the program fee.

Weekends are always free for relaxing or sightseeing of your choice. Our ground operators will help you organize additional trips with special (non tourist) rates which can be paid directly in local currency.

Volunteers based in Nadi & Lautoka can choose from a wide variety of options with Nadi being the main tourist hub for Fiji and the Fijian Islands.

Volunteers based in the Coral Coast can spend the weekends exploring Suva, visiting Colo-I-Suva or Mosquito Island and searching the craft and produce markets in Suva’s town centre. From Pacific Harbour you can organize activities, such as kayaking, white-water rafting, shark feeding, jet ski tours, zip lining and diving.

Would you like to raise money in order to afford your trip abroad to volunteer? Or perhaps you would like to set up a funraiser to gain enough money to give as a donation to the local project? Crowd funding is a great way to do this. Read this article on Crowdfunding tips to find out how you can raise funds for your trip.