We have big goals for 2020, read on as Samantha Stock explains more here about the important of positivism in challenging times, volunteering, education and why we need to support town expansion...
It goes without saying that 2020 has thus far been a challenging year... everywhere you look, especially in the travel industry. Despite these challenges, it is so important at these times that we not lose sight of the good and positive things that continue to happen, all over the world.
Koroipita Model Town in Lautoka, Fiji,gives us all hope. A fully self-sufficient cyclone proof village, established by Peter Drysdale over 18 years ago. The design can be replicated anywhere in the world and the purpose is to create a safe place for underprivileged Fijians and refugees to gain experience, education and ideally progress past the poverty line that over 28% of the Fijian population live below.
The relationship between Koroipita and Expedia was established way back in 2014 when my passionate colleague Justin Lee learnt of Koroipita from Tony Whitton of Rosie Holidays, as the years passed the Koroipita Village continued to grow, providing housing for more of the over 1,500 families with applications on the waiting list to live in the village. We ran two volunteering expeditions in 2019 and raised over $50,000 AUD to support Koroipita and build two new houses within the community. Read more here (link to other article) or check out this short video.
In 2020, as the world returns to some normalcy, and with the support of key industry partners and friends we plan to extend our volunteering and support efforts past house construction and manual labor and include training and education for the youth of Koroipita, helping them to gain an understanding of the travel industry that is responsible for over 30% of the GDP for Fiji. Our pledge is to support through the following initiatives:Â
Sponsor 3x high school graduates through Rosie Tourism Academy and Hotel Attachment Program (ERTAS: Expedia Rosies Tourism Attachment Scheme)
2x Volunteering visits to Koroipita: including tourism education component 'tourism is for everyone'
Fundraising target $120,000 FJD to purchase land to expand the township to provide additional housing
There's several ways that you can get involved, when the time is right:
We are planning 2 subsidised volunteering trips in 2020, dates TBA – register your interest here (add link to google form)
There will be opportunities to offer financial support, Expedia employees can find Koroipita in Bevenity (add link)Â
Reach out if you would like to learn more or support in any other way (add link to contact us page)