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Volunteer Work Projects

There are a variety of projects available in The Cook Islands, providing something for everybody.



Imanuela Akatemia

BImanuela Akatamia is an Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) school. It is very structured and unlike a normal school, it promotes self-discipline, where students set their own goals for each day as well as for every week. If goals are not met, then students must take their work home for homework. It runs on a pace system, where students work at their own pace, completing workbooks, which advance as students progress. It also works on a trust system, where students can mark their own work. Teachers check students' work and have ways of knowing if students have not been honest. Imanuela Akatamia has a request for volunteers to guide students through their pace books on a one to one basis. When a student needs help with any subject they come to the volunteer and the volunteer will assist them with it. Help is most often required with reading and comprehension but math and other subjects are also covered.

School hours for the volunteer are between 9am and 12:30pm five days per week.

Dress code:

Men: Long pants or, tidy knee length shorts. Short sleeved shirts, polo shirts or tidy t-shirts.

Women: Three-quarter or long pants, tidy knee length shorts, skirts or dresses. Blouse, polo shirts or tidy t-shirts. Please no low cut or string tops.



Creative Center
Mary -- Director

This is a day centre for adults with mental and physical disabilities. The clients come to learn life skills, socialize and take part in various organized activities. It is open to them daily from 9am till 3pm. They have a mobile shop which is taken to market on a Wednesday. This is one form of fundraising for the centre as they sell their products such as - greeting cards, book marks, place mats, jewelry and many other things. This community partner has requested the assistance of volunteers who are experienced in working with wheelchair bound clients as well as anyone who might have specialist skills in managing disabilities, such as physio therapists.

Work hours are from 9:30am till 2pm and this can be a full-time or part time project.

Dress code: Very casual. Shorts and t-shirts are the best to wear in this work environment. You could be on the floor joining in on their yoga and kinesthetic class!



Te Uki Ou School
June Hosking -- Principal
Andrew Hosking -- Caretaker

Te Uki Ou School is one of the private elementary schools on the island. Global Volunteers first became involved with this school after being asked to help out with making furniture for their special needs students. Global Volunteers has continued to help the school with maintenance projects and have assisted the school with various building projects such as a new classroom and computer lab. Volunteers have helped with painting, building and construction of various items. There is a new building project due to start near the end of 2007 so if you have carpentry skills let Global Volunteers know.

The workday is between 8:30am and 2:30pm.

Dress code: Maintenance work – wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty and stained. Working with special needs teacher - casual, but tidy. Shorts and t-shirts are fine.



Takitumu School

Takitumu School (Elementary level) has developed a reading program designed to help students from Grade 4 upwards as they progress in to the next stage of their education which is learning English. At Takitumu School the students are instructed in Cook Islands Maori and do not learn English until they get to Grade 4. As a volunteer at this school you will be reading with students one on one. You will see the same students daily on a scheduled roster for the duration of your program. The idea of this program is to help the student with general letter and word recognition and comprehension. There is scope here for introducing games and activities that make this task enjoyable for both the student and volunteer. If you have any resources along these lines please feel free to bring them with you to use in the sessions.

The workday is between 8:30am and 2:00pm.


Dfess Code: Men -- Long pants or, tidy knee length shorts. Short sleeved shirts, polo shirts or tidy t-shirts. Women -- Three-quarter or long pants, tidy knee length shorts, skirts or dresses. Blouse, polo shirts or tidy t-shirts. Please no low cut or string tops. ress code:



Are Pa Taunga (Mental Health Clinic)
Mereana -- Director and Psychiatric Nurse
Kelly -- Staff member

For islanders who need mental health attention, this is where they have their appointments for counseling.

The staff, depending on how busy they are with clients, appreciate having volunteers who are counselors, psychiatrists or, psychologists. In order to know if they can utilize a volunteer, they have asked to be told whether volunteers are actively working, or retired from their profession and what their specific experience has been, or is. For example, is a volunteer a child psychologist, or a family psychologist? Please inform the country manager in advance and send a full Curriculum Vita to the country manager, if a volunteer is interested in working in their area of expertise.

A workday would depend on the number of clients that needed to be seen and a volunteer may be asked to help with office work.

Dress code:

Men: Long pants or, tidy knee length shorts. Short sleeved shirts, polo shirts or tidy t-shirts.

Women: Three-quarter or long pants, tidy knee length shorts, skirts or dresses. Blouse, polo shirts or tidy t-shirts. Please no low cut or string tops.



Are Pa Metua -- Senior Center
Mama Ana -- Center director
Pauline Napa -- Trustee

This is a nice place for a morning visit, to spend time with elderly islanders. Unfortunately, elderly men, whom are respectfully called Papa's, do not attend the center. It always has a number of Mama's (the respectful term for elderly women), who come every Tuesday through Thursday, tidily dressed in traditional dress (called a mumu), often with a hat, or wearing a garland of flowers around their heads (called an ei katu), or at lease wearing a single flower.

These Mamas are always looking their very best and enjoy having visitors.

This is not a home for the elderly, as part of the Cook Islands culture is to look after the elderly, as family is very important and the elderly are highly respected. As most care givers in the family work every day, Are Pa Metua offers elderly people a place to meet their friends for company and have someone to watch over them, rather than be at home alone.

A normal day usually begins with a service of prayer and devotion, either run by one of the mama's, or by a minister from the traditional church (Cook Islands Christian Church – Presbyterian denomination). Then there is time to hear stories of old and they also want to hear volunteer's stories. Before lunch, they enjoy playing card games and it is very difficult to beat them. After lunch, most of them take a nap.

The mamas love to have their photo taken, but please take note that photos are not to be taken until after their morning devotion and prayer service. Every mama, of course, has her particular seating place, so be sure to sit where they tell you, you can sit.

Volunteers visit from 9am till no later than 1pm and as this is not a full workday, are expected to go elsewhere for the afternoon to work. Volunteers generally like to visit once.

Dress code:

Men: Long pants or, tidy knee length shorts. Short sleeved shirts, polo shirts or tidy t-shirts.

Women: Three-quarter or long pants, tidy knee length shorts, skirts or dresses. Blouse, polo shirts or tidy t-shirts. Please no low cut or string tops.



Cook Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (CIANGO)
Vereara Maeva -- President

CIANGO is an NGO, which brings all the Cook Islands NGO’s together and helps the community to understand who they are and what they do. They are committed to strengthening the relationship between the government and the NGO’s. They also offer the community training in traditional arts and crafts and culture.

President Vereara Maeva was nominated this year, for the Woman of the Year Award, 2003.

Volunteers could be asked to help with office and administration work.

Dress code: Tidy and comfortable.



Cook Islands National Council of Women (CINCW)
Rongo File -- Director

CINCW is an umbrella organization for the smaller women’s groups in the outer islands. They look at issues of women in society, such as gender mainstreaming in the areas of politics and legislation; The status of women, for example, are women involved in decision making in the area of trade and what is the social impact.

Rongo File is one of the people responsible for looking after this organization and is kept busy with research, writing reports, and attending various meetings to encourage the voice of women to be spoken and heard. She usually invites volunteers with computer, office and administration or newsletter layout experience to help her. Normally, a volunteer is only required to help Rongo on a part-time basis.

Dress code: Tidy and comfortable.


Red Cross Cook Islands
Niki Rattle -- Director

Depending on the amount of work that Niki has available for a volunteer, she may ask for a volunteer on a part-time or full-time basis.

Niki usually invites volunteers with computer, office and administration, or workshop experience to help her.

Niki was nominated this year, for the Woman of the Year Award, 2003.

Dress code: Tidy and comfortable.


Punanga Tauturu (Women’s and family crisis and counseling center)
 Angie Tuara - Staff

Punanga Tauturu means fortress of safety. Unfortunately, although the Cook Islands is the last Heaven on Earth, like any other country, it has its problems. This is where mostly women seek refuge from abuse. Primarily, Punanga Tauturu a NGO is a counseling service. They also help with legal assistance and run workshops on various issues like youth suicide.


Ne appreciates having volunteers who have experience with social issues and counselors in the area of child welfare, women's and family issues, and/or any other related fields. Ne wants to learn from volunteers. It is important to note that here in the Cook Islands, the pace is a lot slower and at Punanga Tauturu they may not be as professional as volunteers are used to at home.

Volunteers may also be asked to help with office/administration work.

Punanga Tauturu is also in the same small office as CINCW and the Red Cross, so they all work very closely together. Rongo and Niki are committee members of Punanga Tauturu and in fact Niki was once for many years, the president of the organization. Working in this office, volunteers get an opportunity to work alongside some remarkable Cook Islands hardworking women.


Dress code: Tidy and comfortable.



Cook Islands Library and Museum Society

Volunteers are welcome to help generally with cataloguing, shelving books, mending books and sometimes cleaning the library.

Attached is the Cook Islands Museum.

Volunteers with Global Volunteers have free lending rights.

Depending on what is needed, this can be a part time or a full time work project. Work hours are between 9am and 1pm. This means that volunteers have to work elsewhere for two more hours to put in a complete workday. Given that the National Library down the road needs volunteers, this can be the afternoon worksite.

Dress code: Tidy and comfortable.



National Library, Archives and Museum
 Justina Nicholas - Library Director
Ordile Ina Papa -- Librarian

Volunteers are welcome to help generally with cataloguing, shelving books, mending books and sometimes cleaning the library. You may be asked to do some computer cataloguing.

The National Museum is right next-door.

Depending on what is needed, this can be a part time or a full time work project. Work hours are between 9am and 3pm.

Dress code: Tidy and comfortable.



Takitumu Conservation Area
Ian Karika -- Director
Eddie Saul -- Technical Adviser

The Takitumu Conservation Area is home to the Kakerori bird, which is native to the Cook Islands. Global Volunteers first became involved in this program to help eradicate the rat population that were eating the eggs of this bird and dangerously decreasing the Kakerori population. We are now involved in maintaining the trails, as well as creating new trails, throughout the conservation area.

An opportunity to work in the conservation area can depend on the weather as well as visiting cruise ships, when Ian takes tours through the conservation area.

A volunteer needs to have a reasonable level of fitness to be of assistance. The workday involves a lot of walking and hacking with a bush knife (machete). There can be some reasonably steep inclines, depending on which track is being worked on.

Come prepared with a sturdy pair of shoes, clothes to get dirty in, a pair of gloves, a backpack to carry lunch and a bottle of water in and insect repellent, as the mosquitoes are quite thick in this area.

The workday is between 9am and 12noon.


Whale Research Center
Nan Hauser -- Director and President of the Center for Cetacean Research & Conservation

Nan Hauser is a famous marine scientist from America, who has studied marine life all over the world, in particular, dolphins and whales. She is world known for her filming of whales and has sold footage to National Geographic and the Discovery channel.

After showing the Cook Islands Prime Minister data from her whale research in the area, a whale sanctuary was established within its vast national waters and in cooperation with other island countries, thus providing a huge area of the Pacific Ocean as a reserve for whales. The Whale Research Center is a nongovernmental organization that studies whales and assists in their protection. Because Nan believes that ‘what she has learned, she should share’, the Whale Research Center is both an educational organization, as well as a museum.

Volunteers are invited to work at the Whale Research Center, helping with an array of projects, such as putting together exhibits, cataloguing and recording data, organizing photos and DNA data, working on recordings of whale songs and creating spectrographs on the computer. Volunteers may have an opportunity to teach children about whales, or teach art and for computer literate volunteers the web page needs working on. The library of books and CDs and Videos needs maintaining and for volunteers that come in the whale season, which is between the months of July to the end of October, they may have the opportunity to assist both on land and possibly ocean, with research. Volunteers with mechanics experience may be asked to help maintain the Whale Research Vessel. Anyone with accounting and bookkeeping experience may be asked to help maintain the Whale Research Centers books.

Depending on the jobs involved the workday hours can be flexible. When working with children for example, they have an after school program. The Whale Research Center is open to sometimes 5pm.

Dress code: Casual.


Volunteer In Cook Islands
email: cookislandsvolunteer@globalvolunteers.org
volunteerincookislands.org is a partnership between CIANGO and Global Volunteers. © 2004 - 2007