We
received the invitation package after the call and the official county is Fiji.
Kelly will be a Health Promoter and I will be an Environmental Resource
Management Promoter. Our ship date is May 19, 2009. 

The
purpose of a Health Promoter is to assist the Fijian community members to
improve their health status through increased health knowledge, better
decision-making abilities, public health outreach programs, and improved access
to health services. This is accomplished through the project's four goals:

1.   
Fijian
household members will have increased health knowledge, skills, and attitudes,
which will lead them to make healthier lifestyle choices.

2.   
Health
and Youth service providers will have increased capacity to conduct health
promotion campaigns and provide improved services to the community. 

3.   
Fijian
health organizations and institutions will function more effectively and have
increased availability and quality of materials and health promotion
resources. 

4.   
Fijian
communities will have increased access to health services because of new or
improved networking with health/youth institutions or other
communities.   

Kelly
will be involved in designing, developing, and delivering health education
trainings and workshops, promoting the inclusion and participation of women and
youth in health promotion and life skills activities, providing training of
trainers for community members selected to be village health contacts,
networking with other health promotion NGOs, GOs, and sponsor to develop an effective practices document for use in other communities.

As an
Environmental Resource Management Promoter I will be assisting Fijian’s to
sustain their natural resources and improve their livelihoods through increased
environmental knowledge and skills. Project objectives include: marine and
terrestrial resource management; waste, water and sanitation awareness and
promotion; and environmentally sustainable business development.  

I will
be involved in teaching conservation concepts; conducting environmental impact
studies; monitoring, assessing and evaluating coral reefs, mangroves and the
upland forest; assisting with the planning and administering of locally managed
marine protected areas and forest reserves; and designing sustainable marine
tourism training programs.

We will
most likely be in a rural area which I can only imagine what this means.  From what I’ve read so far, it could be
a remote island three boat rides and a ferry from civilization, or a day’s hike
into a remote forest on the main island. 
This most likely means no Internet and possibly limited power.  That is a bummer, but the prospect of
seeing the unfiltered and genuine Fijian culture up front and personal is a
once in a lifetime opportunity.

-matt