IT was the trip of a lifetime and now a young aspiring teacher is hoping to change the lives of the children she met during a visit to Fiji.

Chloe Hickson fell in love with the archipelago of islands north of New Zealand when she visited as part of a round-the-world tour in 2014.

But she said tourists, including herself, rarely see the real side of Fiji and far from being a tropical paradise, many people live in poverty.

The 23-year-old from Wilderspool is now planning to return to the country to help the Think Pacific charity build schools on some of the smaller islands so that primary school children do not have to leave their families and travel many miles to get an education.

Chloe said: “Fiji really did stick with me. It’s not only because it’s beautiful but because the people are lovely, they go out of their way to be friendly.

“But a lot of people who go there on holiday don’t see the real side of Fiji.”

The University of Manchester student is fundraising to pay for a four-week volunteering trip this summer in the hope of giving something back to the country.

She added: “When I visited Wayalailai island, I spoke with the owner of the lodge’s wife, Charlotte. She told me that she very rarely sees her little girl as she goes to a school on the mainland as there are no schools on many of the islands. In fact, many of the people working within the tourism industry don’t see their families for months at a time due to the long boat rides home.

“The charity works on building schools on the islands so that primary school children can stay near their home and parents.”

Chloe was impressed with Think Pacific’s work and is looking forward to staying with a Fijian family and eating traditional foods like pumpkin and fish. She said it is important to be respectful of the culture in the highly religious country, including covering up you shoulders and not wearing short skirts.

“I can’t wait to immerse myself in the culture,” she added.

To donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Chloe-Hickson.