Patrick Osborne expressed how pleased he was with Flying Fijians during the Rugby World Cup in England last month.

Taking time out of his busy schedule preparing for the 2016 Super Rugby season, defending champions Highlanders wing Patrick Osborne spent a week in the country to boost early childhood education.

“I am proud of the Flying Fijians at the World Cup and how they stuck with the big teams,” he said.

“I think from that performance during the World Cup, Tier One teams should be asking to play against Fiji so that we can be better prepared for the next rugby World Cup.

“Tevita Kuridrani, Henry Speight and Waisea Naholo have experienced being on such a big stage in rugby.

“So that should inspire all Fijians to take their chances, whether it will be for the Fiji or an overseas team. It should be a boost for them to do really well.”

Meanwhile, playing top club rugby in New Zealand since 2010, the 28-year-old is the co-founder, along with his cousin Ikitaga Malo, of the charity organisation called EduFiji Kidz.

The charity which was founded in 2013 aims to support and empower children as well as teachers in the Pacific with basic resources and knowledge to further their Early Childhood Education.

The father of two, Lucas, 3, and Leilane, 1, held a three-day workshop with fellow teachers from Auckland in Nausori with a total of 10 kindergarten schools taking part.

Osborne said this was his chance to give back to the country he grew up in and was satisfied with the response from the kids and teachers.

“We started a three-day workshop with 10 teachers from kindergarten schools around Nausori, it was very good and we had good feedback from the teachers,” Osborne said.

“Their eyes were opened to things we taught them because in Auckland they have to buy all the natural resources, like getting trees put in but here everything is natural.

“So we show them how they can use their surrounding environment to actually help develop a child’s learning capabilities and up skill them.”

“I was there through the whole workshop and learnt a lot from the kids, we let the kids be kids and we just build up on their self-confidence, making the right decisions, stimulating their mind, all the things they would need to help prepare them as they grow up.”

Activities held during the workshop were used as a way to allow the children to think, feel and speak for themselves in order to bring out self confidence Osborne said.

“All the activities we did in the workshop gave the child an opportunity to explore something by themselves,” he said.

“And then learning to express themselves using their own mind and learning for themselves. All of the activities brought out the four main things that teachers try and stimulate which is their thinking, language, body language, emotions and feelings.

“It really opened up my eyes as well with my kids and how to teach them and educate them. Our goal is to reach out to every kindergarten in Fiji.”

Osborn departs for New Zealand today.

Feedback: justine.mannan@fijisun.com.fj