The Vorovoro Cultural
Education Centre
We partner directly with the Vorovoro Cultural Education Centre (VCEC) to support the community's vision for its future by connecting people, resources, and opportunities with community-led priorities.
Tui Mali
Chief of Mali & Vorovoro Islands
As Traditional Leader of the Mali community, Tui Mali is dedicated to ensuring that future generations inherit not only healthy land and reefs, but also a strong native cultural identity, deep pride in who they are, and a community that remains connected to its traditions while prepared to shape their future.
His vision, generosity, and enduring friendship have shaped Bridge the Gap from the very beginning. Nearly two decades later, our partnership continues to be rooted in trust, shared purpose, and a shared commitment to the community's future. It is a privilege to continue building alongside him.
Miriama Wati
Director
VCEC
As Director of the Vorovoro Cultural Education Centre and Tui Mali's niece, Wati works closely with community leaders, students, families, researchers, and partners to bring the community's vision to life.
Whether coordinating programs, mentoring young people, sharing Fijian culture, or welcoming visitors to the island, she has a remarkable ability to make people feel at home while helping them better understand the values, traditions, and way of life of the Mali community.
Raijeli Lewa
Program Support Coordinator
VCEC
Raijeli is an essential part of the VCEC team, working alongside her sister, Wati, to support community programs and help ensure every visitor has a meaningful experience on Vorovoro.
Whether welcoming guests, preparing for workshops, assisting with activities, or stepping in wherever she's needed, Raijeli brings warmth, kindness, and a genuine spirit of hospitality to everything she does.
Her quiet dedication behind the scenes helps create the welcoming atmosphere that so many visitors remember long after they return home.
Nemani Baleinayaca
Cultural Manager
VCEC
Nemani helps bring the culture, traditions, and daily life of the Mali community to life for visitors to Vorovoro.
Whether leading cultural activities, sharing traditional knowledge, teaching practical skills, or welcoming guests into community life, Nemani has a natural ability to help people feel comfortable asking questions, trying new experiences, and learning through participation.
Through every interaction, Nemani helps visitors move beyond simply seeing Fiji to experiencing it in a deeper and more meaningful way.
Community & Educational Partners
Our work begins and ends with relationships. We seek partners who share our commitment to supporting the community's vision for its future while honoring the culture, traditions, and natural environment that have shaped life in the Mali community for generations.
Under the leadership of Dr. Kate Thornton, Auburn University began bringing students to Vorovoro in 2013, launching a partnership that continued for more than a decade.
Over the years, Auburn students and faculty worked alongside the Mali community to support workshops that taught community members how to make reading glasses, provided supplies for local schools, sponsored internships for Fijian team members, helped support the construction of the Vorovoro Cultural Education Centre (VCEC), and welcomed members of the Vorovoro community to Alabama to participate in Auburn University's South Pacific Heritage Month celebrations.
Thanks to Auburn's long-term partnership and generosity, the people of Mali are better equipped to achieve the goals they have set for their community.
Just as importantly, cohorts of Auburn students have left with a deeper understanding of culture, leadership, and what meaningful partnership can look like.
Auburn University students have studied abroad on Vorovoro since 2013.
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
Louisiana State University began bringing students to Vorovoro in 2025 through an interdisciplinary study abroad program combining global leadership and marine science.
Led by Dr. Cassie Glaspie and Dr. Ozzie Crocco, LSU students and faculty use Vorovoro as a living classroom, learning alongside the Mali community while contributing marine science expertise, research support, student labor, and ideas that strengthen the community’s cultural and environmental priorities.
The partnership has also helped expand opportunities for reef monitoring, Traditional Ecological Knowledge documentation, youth education, coral restoration, and future conservation research. LSU faculty have worked closely with Bridge the Gap and community leaders to develop projects designed for long-term value rather than short-term study abroad outcomes.
Thanks to LSU’s commitment to shared learning and meaningful collaboration, students gain a deeper understanding of culture, leadership, science, and community stewardship, while the Mali community gains access to relationships, knowledge, and resources that support the future they are working to build.
DR. HEATHER LERNER
Heather Lerner has been a trusted friend and long-term partner of the Mali community for many years.
Through her work at both Earlham College and now Amherst College, Heather has helped strengthen community-led leadership and education initiatives while fostering meaningful relationships between students and the people of Mali.
She has facilitated strategic planning workshops, supported local capacity building, and created opportunities for students and community members to learn alongside one another through curiosity, humility, and mutual respect.
Thanks to Heather's leadership and long-term commitment, the Mali community has gained a trusted collaborator who continues to invest in the community's vision for its future. Just as importantly, her students leave with a deeper understanding of leadership, cultural humility, and the power of authentic partnership.
Located just thirty minutes inland from the coast, Cegu Valley Farm offers a unique opportunity to experience sustainable living firsthand.
Owners Chuck & Sue McCay have spent decades transforming their land into a thriving example of permaculture, regenerative agriculture, beekeeping, and animal husbandry. Every corner of the farm reflects their creativity, perseverance, and deep respect for the natural world.
Visitors are warmly welcomed to spend a day, an overnight, or even a longer internship learning alongside the McCays. It's an inspiring experience that complements life on Vorovoro and offers a deeper understanding of sustainable living in Fiji.
We're grateful to partner with the McCay family in offering visitors the opportunity to experience another inspiring example of community, stewardship, and sustainable living in Fiji.
Cegu is renowned for their beekeeping. They are a major part of the movement to further sustainable beekeeping practices in the South Pacific.
Josh at Cegu loves showing off the lambs!
Several members of the Mali tribe have interned at Cegu.
Cegu is renowned for their beekeeping. They are a major part of the movement to further sustainable beekeeping practices in the South Pacific.
Dive the Great Sea Reef!
Experience one of the world's most extraordinary reef systems with a guide who has called it home his entire life.
Whether you're interested in earning your PADI certification or exploring the Great Sea Reef as a certified diver, Great Sea Reef Divers offers an experience unlike any other. Cakaulevu, Fiji's Great Sea Reef, is the third-longest barrier reef in the world and remains one of the most bio-diverse and least explored reef systems on the planet.
Your instructor, Leone Vokai, grew up free diving these waters long before he became a PADI professional. His intimate knowledge of the reef, its marine life, and its cultural significance creates an experience that goes far beyond learning to dive. Leone and his wife Lara are deeply committed to marine conservation and works closely with local communities to help protect this remarkable ecosystem for future generations.
Whether it's your first dive or your hundredth, diving with Leone and his team offers the rare opportunity to experience the Great Sea Reef through the eyes of someone who has spent a lifetime caring for it.
A day trip to Muanivatu Trails offers Vorovoro guests the chance to experience another community-led tourism initiative on Vanua Levu.
Based in Vuadomo Village near Savusavu, Muanivatu Trails is owned and operated by our friend Epeli Asaro and his community. Epeli welcomes visitors into an experience shaped by the land, culture, food, and traditions of his home.
Guests can explore rainforest trails, swim beneath the beautiful Vuadomo waterfalls, spend time in the village, and enjoy Fijian food prepared with locally grown and seasonal ingredients. Along the way, Epeli and his team share the stories, knowledge, and traditions that have connected their community to this place for generations.
Muanivatu Trails is not part of the Mali community or Bridge the Gap. It is an independent, community-owned tourism initiative that we are proud to introduce to Vorovoro visitors as part of a customized Vanua Levu experience.
