Plastic pollution in Fiji is a trending topic for the reason that there is a lot of it with a major impact, which leads me to a volunteer and intern program managed by GVI which sends young volunteers to the Fijian island of Caqalai to clean up plastic pollution, conduct educational programs and to collect data for research.
GVI works closely with the Fijian authorities namely the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area Network and other partners to make sure that what the volunteers do is useful and relevant for the wider community.
Applicants pay £367 per week for a placement that can last for 12 weeks (as I understand it). Scholarships are available. Volunteers need to be passionate about getting rid of plastic pollution and doing something about this highly publicised and growing problem which the big manufacturers are not taking steps to minimise. Come on manufacturers lets see you do something for the planet’s health and sustainability.
Caqalai is a tiny, picturesque island in Fiji of 14 acres. Sadly, plastic pollution on the island has become very visible and it’s affecting the people and ecosystems of this island paradise.
The cleanup program addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life below Water and includes working on the beaches and diving to the ocean floor.
As can be imagined, Fijians have a close relationship with the surrounding ocean as a resource for food and therefore plastic pollution has become a pressing problem. This is certainly a very well worthwhile program. Find out more.
