Early this morning, two stand-up paddlers and their land support team set off on a journey of more than 500 kilometres around Viti Levu, carrying a message of hope, ecological guardianship and urgent action for our ocean.
Organised by the Pacific Conference of Churches and Suva SUPers, Paddle for Hope is supported by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme through its Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP), and Fiji’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
The journey will continue throughout September as part of the 2026 Season of Creation, under the theme “Living Waters.”
Beginning and ending in Suva, Paddle for Hope will connect coastal communities, churches, young people, civil society organisations and government partners through prayer, talanoa, community worship and practical action.
Paddle for Hope is more than a physical journey around Viti Levu. It is an eco pilgrimage, listening to the stories of communities whose lives, livelihoods, cultures and spirituality are closely connected to rivers, mangroves, reefs, coastlines and the ocean.
At selected stops, the team and its partners will support coastal cleanups, waste sorting, recycling awareness, ecological education and community talanoa. Churches and communities will also reflect on our shared responsibility to guard and heal God’s creation.
Pacific Conference of Churches General Secretary, Rev. James Bhagwan, said the journey would bring the Season of Creation into direct conversation with the experiences of Fiji’s coastal communities.
“The ocean is not an empty space between our islands. It is part of our home, our source of food, identity, spirituality and life. Yet these living waters are being wounded by plastic pollution, destructive patterns of consumption and the growing impacts of the climate crisis.”
Paddle for Hope carries the message “SUP against SUP,” stand up paddling against single use plastics. It will encourage families, churches, communities and businesses to reduce unnecessary plastic use, prevent waste from entering waterways and strengthen recycling and recovery initiatives.
“We are paddling to listen, to learn and to act. Each community is not simply another stop on a map. Each stop is a signpost, showing us the challenges our people face and the local wisdom, courage and solutions already present within our communities,” Rev. Bhagwan said.
SPREP’s Director of Waste Management and Pollution Control (WMPC), Mr Anthony Talouli, highlighted the connection between land-based waste and ocean pollution, noting that poorly managed waste can travel through drains, rivers and waterways into the ocean, threatening marine ecosystems, livelihoods and the wellbeing of communities.
“Paddle for Hope is a powerful reminder that protecting our ocean begins with the choices we make in our homes, communities and businesses. In this Season of Creation, we are reminded by Scripture that ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it’ (Psalm 24:1), and that justice should ‘roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream’ (Amos 5:24),” he said.
“Through POLP, we are working with governments and communities across the Pacific to better understand the sources and movement of litter and turn that knowledge into practical action. This journey brings that message directly to communities and shows that every one of us has a role to play in keeping our living waters healthy,” Mr Talouli added.
The journey will also connect the voices of communities with Fiji and the wider Pacific’s priorities for PreCOP31 and COP31. These include keeping the 1.5 degree temperature limit within reach, improving access to climate finance, elevating the relationship between the ocean and climate, and amplifying Pacific leadership and voices.
“Paddle for Hope reminds us that meaningful environmental action starts at the local level. But local action must also connect to national, regional and global efforts to address climate change, ocean degradation and plastic pollution,” remarked Dr Sivendra Michael, Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change.
“We are pleased to support this important initiative. We must all play our part as stewards of Fiji’s living waters and protect them for generations to come,” Dr Michael said.
Paddle for Hope calls for stronger action to protect and restore rivers, mangroves, reefs and coastal ecosystems; reduce plastic production and pollution; strengthen community recycling; resource locally led adaptation and resilience; and ensure that frontline communities participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their land, water and future.
“Our hope is that this paddle will help carry the voices of communities from the shoreline to the places where decisions are made. This is PreCOP31 for communities, from communities, to the world,” Rev. Bhagwan said.
The Pacific Ocean Litter Project is funded by the Australian Government and implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme in collaboration with Pacific governments and communities.
Paddle for Hope is also supported by the Fiji Council of Churches, Waste Recyclers Fiji, Return and Earn, Blue Prosperity, WWF, The Yacht Shop, TAHE, Naqumu Productions and Lumina Vou.
The journey will conclude in Suva on 28 September, following the final paddle from Naivilaca to the National Sailing Centre.
Members of the public are invited to follow the journey, join community activities where possible, reduce their use of single use plastics and become guardians of Fiji’s living waters.