The Solotavui Village
We are happy to be back in Fiji working on our next project. Our project manager, Ben Sorensen has surveyed many areas around Kadavu to locate sources for clean water. He has also had several meetings around Kadavu and Suva including meetings with the Commissioner - Eastern Division, Netani Rika and the Assistant District Officer of Kadavu, Alfana McGoon. The Fiji government has been very supportive. We began work on our 4th water project, the Solotavui Village on Kadavu Island May 2012.
The local support has been amazing. Four days a week, we have around 15 to 30 men coming to the project ready to work. As these men work with our project manager shoulder to shoulder, they learn how to maintain and repair their water source. This provides preparation for eventual ownership of the water project, which the people of Solotavui Village will clean and maintain. Lunch is prepared by the women of the village and delivered by them and the children. Everyone wants to be a part of the project.
After digging out the spring and preparing the project site for a containment dam, the crew carries supplies to the job site, including 100 lb bags of cement, rebar, wood, PVC pipe and a large water tank. An average day begins with bagging sand on a nearby beach to mix with cement, digging trenches to lay the PVC pipe and digging out a level platform for the water tank. The work takes place during long hard days in the hot sun or heavy rain, but to all those who are a part of this work, it is very rewarding.
You can also be a part of the Solotavui Village Project and help improve the lives of these wonderful people by making a donation through PayPal today.
Water is LIFE
The project started May 1, 2012, expected completion date is July 2012