WATER PROJECT BRINGS RELIEF TO WAI DISTRICT SCHOOL

18/07/2012

More than 110 students, teachers and parents of Wai District School in Lomawai, Nadroga were all smiles today as their water problems became a thing of the past with the official opening of the water project at the school.

The $10,000 water project is funded by the Fiji Water and Vodafone ATH Foundation and administered by Rotary Pacific Water for Life.

The school head teacher, Mrs Zarina Khan said the school had been facing water problems since its establishment in the 1920s.

“We did not receive regular water supply at the school which posed many other problems for our students and teachers. We also have 45 students boarding at the school and they had to fetch water from nearby supply. We also had to bring water through trucks but now we are thankful for the assistance provided to us,” Mrs Khan said.

“The borehole was completed in almost a month’s time. We had also been provided with two 10,000 litres water tanks by the Ministry of Education which is used for storing water.

“With the water project complete now, we are looking forward to the second phase of the project which is the upgrading of the ablution blocks. The upgrading works would start at the end of this month. This project is also undertaken by the Rotary Pacific Water,” Mrs Khan said.

The project was opened by the Acting Prime Minister and Attorney-General Mr Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who commended Rotary Pacific Water for Life, Fiji Water Foundation and Vodafone ATH Foundation for the initiative.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said the Bainimarama Government is very much focused on rural development and the partnership with organisations like these is very encouraging.

He said these initiatives are ways of empowering people to have access to services.

“This is part and parcel of the infrastructure development that we want to put in place. We want to empower people. But a lot of these government initiatives also need the assistance of private companies. This is where such foundations of Fiji Water and Vodafone ATH Foundation assist Government in ensuring that people in the rural areas have access to services,” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.

The minister added that the children are Fiji’s future and they must be given all the support they need to get educated.

“They are the future not just of the parents, not the community but of our country also. So it is important that we encourage all the school students to go to school. But when they go to school, they must have access to clean drinking water”.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum urged the school and the community to ensure the sustainability of the water project so that the assistance provided continues to reap benefits in the future.

Rotary Pacific Water for Life is a non-profitable organization that delivers clean drinking water to rural communities throughout Fiji.

So far, the organisation has brought clean drinking water to about 53,000 Fijians in the country through 186 water projects.

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