Northland teen Te Aroha Davis raring to go on Habitat for Humanity trip to Fiji

Te Aroha Davis held a mufti day at Bay of Islands College to raise funds to give to Habitat for Humanity Fiji. Photo / Supplied

Bay of Islands College's Te Aroha Davis will join Habitat for Humanity's Global Village Trip to Fiji next month.

The 16-year-old said she is "very excited".

She is looking forward to learning about Fijian culture, and helping a family.

The Year 12 student said she is interested in doing humanitarian work as a job and travelling.

The trip will see a group of volunteers travel to Fiji to help build a house for a family in need. The volunteers will work with the family who will live in the house.

Volunteers don't need to have any building experience, only reasonable health. The trip costs $1475 each plus airfares.

Davis said she wants to "see what it's like over there" and see if the house changes the family's lives.

"It's a good experience."

In January, Habitat for Humanity Northland outlined what the trip entailed, seeking volunteers to join it, or donations to help Whangārei teen Kaiha Hemara go along.

Hemara has been volunteering at the ReStore, and wanted to go because he had never been to another country before and thought it would nice to help a family.

Just over two weeks later, trip leader Beth Cooper said they had decided to take a second young person on the trip as a result of the early donations which had come in.

She asked Bay of Islands College if they wanted to nominate a young person, and Davis was selected.

Cooper said thanks to some "very generous donors" they had raised $4144 for the two young people to go on the trip.

The two young people were asked to raise $300 themselves which "they're under way with".

Hemara has been holding sausage sizzles, with the next one tomorrow at the ReStore on Kioreroa Rd. Sausages are $2 and all the funds raised will go towards his trip.

Davis has been working with her dad and saving money. She will be well-placed to help in Fiji - her dad does building, plastering and painting.

A couple of weeks ago her school held a mufti day to raise money for the koha for Habitat for Humanity Fiji.

"Everyone either wore green or came in normal mufti and paid an extra dollar."

She said it raised around $300.

There are 11 people, including the two young people, on the trip and Cooper is looking for three more people. She is still accepting donations for the koha for their Fijian counterparts.

To find out more contact Beth on 021 381 135 or email beth.cooper@habitat.org.nz