This month we are thrilled to be celebrating the successful completion of Rotary Pacific Water for Life's 100th water project. Established in October 2007, Rotary Pacific Water for Life Foundation   is the inaugural project of the FIJI Water Foundation, and continues to be a partner about which we are proud to boast!  At the end of June Rotary Pacific completed its 100th project with a total spend of FJD $1.2million directly benefitting approximately 45,500 people in all 14 provinces of Fiji including Rotuma. This milestone was achieved in just over two and a half years of operation.

The goal of Rotary Pacific Water for Life is to assist disadvantaged and impoverished rural communities with the provision of sustainable, clean and safe drinking water. All the projects are done in partnership with local communities. Rotary Pacific provides materials and technical expertise while community members assist in the construction and commit to the care and management of the new water systems.

Not looking to reinvent the wheel, Rotary Pacific borrows expertise from across the country and around the world to make these water and sanitation projects possible. Applications for assistance are assessed by a Technical Advisory Committee of electrical and mechanical engineers, hydro geologists, marine biologists along with representatives from Government Water Supplies and Mineral Resources departments. This team helps the foundation in areas where their professional expertise is required and also in the supervision of construction and installation works that are carried out by contractors.

Rotary Pacific receives annual funding from three principal local donors: the FIJI Water Foundation, Westpac Banking Corporation, and the Vodafone ATH Fiji Foundation. Offshore funding is also contributed by the Rotary International Foundation  that has provided numerous matching grants. Representatives from these organizations, stakeholders, volunteers, partners and friends all gathered in Suva on July 15th to celebrate the tremendous achievement of Rotary Pacific. As more international aid agencies and donors step up to join hands, we look forward to the next hundred projects!
 

Isa, isa, is a Fijian farewell to one outstanding individual who departs our shores to pursue graduate studies in New York. We wish Molly all the best in her studies at Columbia University and we hope that she doesn’t miss the surf, sun and sand too much. Molly, thank you for your commitment to the people of Fiji and for the passion that has driven you and the Foundation to extraordinary heights in the last two years. We will miss you, but we know you will be back in Fiji soon. Ni sa moce and vinaka vakalevu for all your hard work Molly.

We also welcome two talented ladies into the Fiji Water team, Fane Niumataiwalu and Olive Compain. Molly has left big shoes to fill but we know that Fane and Olive are more than capable of taking the Foundation further. Their commitment to the people of Fiji will no doubt power the Foundation forward in the years to come.
 

"Partnership" is a common word in the FIJI Water world, and rightfully so as it is the essence of everything we seek to do. One recent project exemplifies partnership at its best. On Thursday June 24th representatives from FIJI Water Foundation, New Zealand High Commission, US Peace Corps, and the Prime Minister’s Office gathered together with the people of Nananu Village in Tailevu to celebrate the official opening of the “Gaunavou” Kindergarten. The $35,000 project was funded in partnership by FIJI Water Foundation, New Zealand High Commission, and the Nananu community.

Nananu is home to about 200 community members. A kindergarten was first established in the village community hall in 2005, but classes were often cancelled as they competed for space with other events and meetings. The school was also unable to officially register with the Ministry of Education, and therefore was not eligible for grants, salary, and teacher education programmes that would make the kindergarten more sustainable.

With assistance from their village Peace Corps volunteer, Nananu applied for and received a $28,000 grant from FIJI Water Foundation for the building. Another $7,000 was donated by the New Zealand High commission for the school toilets, septic tank, fence and footpath, and Nananu community members volunteered to construct the school. All the guests present noted that this project represented a fantastic success of private, public, and community partnership, one which should be replicated throughout Fiji. At the ceremony, Permanent Secretary to the Prime Minister Col. Tikoduadua announced that the Fiji government would donate furniture to the school as well.

Nananu chief Jone Bulewagaga said that the project had been a great success because of villagers’ willingness to work hard without pay for the betterment of the village and the future of all their children. The new kindergarten has also generated enthusiasm for Early Childhood Education. Since the project began a school bank account has been created, regular fundraisers have collected funds for learning materials, the class size has doubled from 16 to 32 children, and regular school attendance has improved by more than 30%.

As Ms. Kramer, the resident Peace Corps volunteer, articulated, “The building is more than a structure in which to hold class. It is more than an item on the checklist of requirements to successfully register a kindergarten with the Ministry. The new kindergarten building is a visible manifestation of the community’s desire to give their children the best they have.” As one community member said, “I want my children to know, I built your school. This is my gift to you.”