Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, Fiji, one of the most renowned vacation destinations in the South Pacific, is offering an array of new and hands-on volunteer opportunities that will contribute to the local community and environment for resort guests to participate in.  As one of the world’s first eco-luxury resorts, this is one of the most environmentally friendly vacation destinations in the South Pacific, if not globally.  The immersive volunteer experiences include a new children’s reading program at a local Fijian school, mangrove planting, endangered giant clam re-population of four species, and much more.

“At Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, Fiji, we are committed to providing our guests with transformative experiences when they travel,” said Bartholomew Simpson, general manager of Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort.  “Through our volunteer opportunities, guests will not only have the opportunity to give-back when they travel with us, but will be able to truly immerse themselves in the local Fijian culture and contribute to the betterment of the environment.”

Guests of the property are able to aid in the preservation of the environment by way of planting mangroves in the waters surrounding the resort, and with that, will contribute to the resort’s goal of planting a total of 10,000 mangroves by November 2018.  Mangroves provide and symbiotically foster the most productive ecosystems on earth, serving many important functions, including water filtration, prevention of coastal erosion and coastal protection from storms, carbon storage, and biodiversity protection, among others.

Interested guests can also get involved in the giant clam repopulation project led by the resort’s marine biologist, Johnny Singh, who has been raising of a series of juvenile endangered giant clam brood stocks as part of an effort to repopulate the four species in the local waters surrounding the resort.  Through this unique process, volunteers will learn about the daily workings of a modern-day pearl farm and the intricate process behind culturing pearls in a modern, world’s best standard hatchery and research center, at J. Hunter Pearls near the resort.  A major focus of the resort’s ecology preservation efforts, the giant clam reserve is a protected area that contains four different species, allowing them to grow and reproduce using genetically responsible methods.

Through their new reading program, guests of the resort can visit Buca primary school nearby the local village and read to the Fijian students.  Visitors will bring an English elementary level book and will then leave it as a donation to the school’s growing library.  Guests are sure to have an unforgettable experience, as they get a glimpse into Fijian education, bond with the local school children, and help them to learn English, while young guests may form a pen pal with a local new-found friend, embellishing the literacy and immersive initiative.

For more information on Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, or how to get involved in the resort’s new volunteer experiences, please visit: www.fijiresort.com.