Read the latest news and updates from volunteers, partners, and staff across the moana working collectively towards a world with thriving communities.

 

Exploring sustainable energy in the Pacific

A Q&A with returned volunteer Chris Williamson

Read more
Gaining a new perspective

Michaela Powell tells us about developing speech language therapy capacity in Samoa.

Read more
‘It’s such a special place’

Returned volunteer Sarah Togher tells us what’s been unique about volunteering in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.

Read more
Giving back in Timor-Leste

What do Samsung, Toyota, and pig farmers in Timor-Leste have in common?

Read more
Empowering women for stronger sustainable communities

Partner organisation spotlight: Teitoiningaina

Read more
VSA receives Margaret Neave Endowment Fund grant

How the Margaret Neave Endowment Fund is supporting optimal health outcomes in Tonga.

Read more
Language revitalisation in the Cooks

James Uri-Puati is writing a thesis about revitalising Cook Islands Māori. He explains the passion behind this project.

Read more
Empowering youth in Vanuatu

UniVol Morgan Kelly has been volunteering as a Youth Development Assistant in Santo, Vanuatu, since February. Here, she shares a bit about finding her feet and building capacity at a local youth centre.

Read more
‘It’s hard to put into words’

VSA volunteer Jackie Cronin has volunteered multiple times. She tells us about her most recent assignment in Tonga, and why she keeps coming back for more.

Read more
Double the impact

UniVol Roi Burnett tells us about enjoying her first volunteering stint so much, she went back for a second.

Read more
The Mauri Way

eVolunteer Anna Stevens tells us about building tourism capacity in Kiribati in a critical post-Covid time.

Read more
‘Incredible, in a word’

Jonty Crane is currently volunteering in Timor-Leste. He tells us about increasing organisational capacity, boosting tourism, and spreading the word about the wonders Timor-Leste has to offer.

Read more
Celebrating the volunteers who keep on giving

Celebrating a recently appointed Life Member and inviting nominations for 2024.

Read more
Sharing the joy of sport

UniVol Eileen Dixon volunteered in Samoa in 2023 as a Sports Development Assistant at National Rugby League Samoa. She tells us about sharing her skills, forging new connections, and enjoying herself so much she extended her assignment for a further seven months.

Read more
The experience of a lifetime

Recently returned UniVol Charlotte Brewer tells us about making a difference – and lifelong friends – in Vanuatu.

Read more
A Tongan Love Affair – The Story of a Volunteer in 1967 who Married a Tongan and Now Lives a Tongan Life!

VSA has been active in Tonga since 1965. One of our early volunteers to Tonga, Paul Karalus, was part of the school leaver programme and was placed with St. John's High School in Tonga in 1967. Paul taught English and Social Studies in the intermediate years at the school. At only 18, Paul met and fell in love with his wife, Tafolosa, from Ha’apai in Tonga. Although the couple returned to New Zealand and enjoyed teaching and learning Te Reo in Opotiki, they returned to Tonga to give their three young girls a chance to experience Tonga and gain fluency in Tongan. What started as a volunteering assignment for Paul, turned to living in Tonga for over half a century.

Read more
Pick up where you left off—Volunteer Returns to Timor-Leste to Continue Working with the Partner Organisation

Meet VSA volunteer, Alastair Gordon, who’s picked up a second assignment in Timor-Leste with Kaebauk Investimentu no Finansas (Kaebauk). Kaebauk serves to provide loan and deposit products to Timorese nationals. Mainly offered in rural areas, it lays its focus on offering financial services to unbanked low-income entrepreneurs. Alastair is a Marketing Adviser for Kaebauk and works around helping this micro-finance organisation make more Timorese aware of their services. Here's a quick look at Alastair’s work with KIF…

Read more
Six Volunteer Assignments, Three Pacific Countries, Ten Years with VSA and Counting!

Meet VSA volunteer Barry Binding, who has been with us since 2008. Barry's first assignment was in Bougainville for two years, where he later returned to pick up three additional assignments for another two years. This was then followed by a short-term project in Vanuatu, and finally a one-year assignment in Timor-Leste. Barry’s partner, Joanne Trimble, accompanied him during his many assignments in Bougainville and Timor-Leste. Over these ten years, Barry has undertaken core tasks with our partner organisations that range from building a library to assessing damage to employee housing post-Vanuatu’s devastating cyclone. Here’s a peek into Barry’s time as a volunteer in the Pacific…

Read more
The Role of a Digital Librarian and Archivist at the University of the South Pacific, Cook Islands Campus

Volunteer Tim Jones worked as a digital librarian and archivist at the University of the South Pacific (USP) Cook Islands Campus. USP in the Cook Islands offer a wide range of tertiary courses but they also hold important archival collections, and the goal of his assignment was to improve the organisation of and access to one of these collections: the papers of Ron Crocombe.

Read more
E-Volunteering to In-Country — The Blended Assignment of an EC Education Advisor

Meet Margaret Stevenson—a VSA volunteer who began her assignment in Timor-Leste as an Early Childhood Education Advisor. Margaret began her assignment as an e-volunteer and by mid-2023, a blended assignment was confirmed. Her role varied from providing training to Timorese educators to organising mini-workshops for teachers. Here’s a closer look at Margaret’s blended assignment and a peek into her everyday life as a volunteer.

Read more