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No.31, October 2018
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School leaver volunteer reminisces about Fiji 49 years on

Sarah Maclean has returned to Fiji five times since she volunteered in 1969 as an 18-year-old fresh out of school.

While she doubts whether she had any impact on Fiji, Sarah’s in no doubt it had a profound impact on her. “I look back at my time in Fiji as a major experience in my life,” she says.

“We can see now that the school leaver scheme was not a well thought-out aid programme. However, I was lucky. After all these years I’m still so glad I had the privilege to be invited into the lives of so many people in Fiji.”

In this article, Sarah describes the changes in Fijian society she’s seen in her five visits, from race and culture and standards of living to traffic and what people wear. She also reflects on the

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impact of that first assignment on her and how, despite its shortcomings, the school leaver scheme proved such a formative experience.

Challenge to recruit extra volunteers in tight job market

VSA is pulling out all stops to find more volunteers, especially in agriculture and horticulture.

VSA’s funding boost as a result of this year’s deal with MFAT was great news but it means finding more volunteers to fill assignments. In a tight New Zealand labour market, where schools can’t find maths teachers and businesses can’t find food technologists, that’s a challenge.

One area we’re struggling to fill vacancies is in agriculture and horticulture. VSA has been advertising heavily in trade magazines, on social media and elsewhere, and now we’re appealing to former volunteers to use their own networks to encourage people to volunteer through VSA.

You might even be tempted to volunteer yourself - our recent survey shows that 57% of returned volunteers would consider another assignment (see below). Our agriculture and horticulture
vacancies can be checked out here. And if you know any geologists, plumbers or TESOL teachers who want an adventure, here’s a sample of what’s on offer!

RNZ media expert praises
VSA assignment


“Isn’t it wonderful to see someone taking their experience and skills and sharing them in this way,” said host Kathryn Ryan on RNZ’s Nine to Noon show on 23 October.

She was chatting with Gavin Ellis, a media expert talking about journalist Pip Stevenson's VSA assignment. Pip is volunteering with Isles Media in Solomon Islands and, with her support, the group had just put out their Sunday paper for the first time in four months.

In praising Pip and the Solomons newspaper staff, Ellis commented: “Where New Zealand journalists are able to do voluntary work like that, they can have a huge impact.”

We couldn’t agree more. You can listen to the clip here, from the 11min 11sec mark.
Sunday Isles editor Mike Tua with the first issue for four months.

Successful VSA Council candidates

Congratulations to the four successful candidates who were elected to VSA’s governing body, the VSA Council, in September's ballot.

Three are returned volunteers. Fifteen of the 20 candidates were RVs which indicates a strong ongoing connection with VSA. 

Hannah Stewart lives in Lower Hutt and was on VSA’s staff from 2007 to 2017, including three years as Programme Manager in PNG.




Julia O’Connor is from Nelson and has been in legal practice since 1986. She was a volunteer legal advisor on a human rights project in PNG.



Olivia Owen lives in Wellington and is a senior policy officer at MFAT. Olivia was a UniVol in Tanzania in 2011 and was on assignment in Fiji 2013-2015.
Simon Trotter from Christchurch was a Downer volunteer in the Solomons in 2014. He currently manages capital infrastructure projects for the Ministry of Education. 
 
They will begin their four-year terms at VSA’s AGM on 3 November, joining current Council members whose terms finish in 2020:
  • Evan Mayson (chair)
  • Kirikaiahi Mahutariki
  • Dana MacDiarmid
  • John Bowis
  • Peter Elmsly and Hone McGregor (co-opted until February 2019)
  • Deidre Brookes and Kirsty Burnett (co-opted until the 2019 AGM).

Among friends

Have you joined the Facebook group for returned volunteers?
 
Friends of VSA, a closed group for returned volunteers, now has 218 members.

 
Returned volunteers invited to pre-VSA Congress social
Wellington returned volunteers, and any other RVs who might be in town on the night, are warmly invited to the pre-VSA Congress social evening this Friday, 2 November, at VSA's offices on 77 Thorndon Quay.

It's an informal evening from 4.30-7.30pm, and an opportunity to catch up with other former volunteers, VSA staff and council members.

For catering purposes, please rsvp to reception@vsa.org.nz if you plan to attend. We look forward to seeing you.

The annual Congress takes place the following day, Saturday 3 November - here's the full programme.

Welcome to VSAConnect


Welcome to these volunteers who have recently joined VSAConnect on returning home (click to view blogs, profiles and news):
NEWS CLIPPINGS
Parents' hard work motivated Solomons volunteer

Roseanne Ulunga, who returned to Auckland in July after volunteering as an engineer in the Solomons, features in a charming video clip about why she volunteered and the debt she owed to her parents for their support over the years.

She also talks about the challenges she faced on assignment, from splashes of betel nut juice to working to 'Solomon time', and female role models who inspired her to become an engineer.

R.I.P. Sue Watt: an active and valued VSA supporter

VSA extends its sympathy to the family of Sue Watt, the chair of Wellington’s VSA branch who passed away peacefully in her sleep in the early hours of Sunday, 9 September 2018, aged 71.

Sue had a long and distinguished career in development, including 20 years with UNICEF. In 1994, she began a decade on VSA’s Council and she remained an active and valued member of the organisation. Life member Gavin Kerr paid Sue this tribute > 

MoU clears way for volunteers to return to Tuvalu

Hilary Boyes will depart for an assignment in Tuvalu early next year, the first VSA volunteer in the tiny island nation for more than 20 years. VSA is resuming operations there as a result of an MoU signed between VSA and the Tuvalu Government early in October.

Hilary will volunteer as an environmental adviser. The last of just five volunteers who have served in Tuvalu was Peter Thomber, a teacher in 1995-1996.

Tuvalu lies over 1100 km north of Fiji and has a population of just over 10,500. It consists of three reef islands and six atolls and has an average elevation of 1.83m above sea level.

Marlborough volunteer helps quell Canadian fires

Steve Smith's volunteering CV includes not only two stints with VSA in the Solomons, but also a month fighting wildfires in British Columbia.

Steve, a volunteer firefighter from Blenheim, spent most of September with a group of Marlborough firefighters helping to quell fires that raged across the Canadian province. The terrain and intensity of the fires was unlike anything they had experienced before, reported the Marlborough Sun.

Excellent response to returned volunteer survey


Thanks to the 369 respondents to our returned volunteer survey that circulated during September and October. The responses will give VSA valuable insights into volunteering's long-term impact, not only on volunteers but also on their New Zealand communities and the communities where they served.

Responses are now being collated and full results will be presented later. In the meantime here's a few snapshots of our returned volunteers:
  • The top motivations to volunteer were 'the opportunity to live in a new place and culture' (70%), and a desire 'to "give back"' (61%).
  • 83% have kept in touch with people they met on assignment: 80% with other volunteers and 60% with members of their partner organisation.
  • 57% are interested in going on another assignment.
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