Many students volunteered their time to the project.
In partnership with Give Clean Water, over 60 FIJI Water employees recently volunteered their time to install 130 home-filtration systems in an area of Fiji that lacks access to safe, drinkable water. Approximately 750 people will benefit from the new filters.
Helped by friends, family members, and neighbors, the teams of volunteers focused on the villages of Natalecake, Vadravadra, and Wavuwavu in the province of Ba. Here people not only endure frequent water shortages but are often forced to use rain and river water when bad weather disrupts the local water supply. The result is an intolerably high level of dangerous water-borne diseases.
In order to eradicate the problem, Give Clean Water installed Point One Filters, which remove 99.99% of the bacteria that cause typhoid, cholera, and other dangerous diseases. Once the devices were properly secured, the volunteers then showed home owners how to use and maintain them in conjunction with basic principles of hygiene and sanitation. The filters come with a one-million-gallon guarantee — essentially the recipient’s lifetime.
Community-building is a team effort.
One inspiring aspect of the initiative, which took place on April 30 and May 1, was the spirited involvement of students attending the local Vatukaloko Jr. Secondary School. Give Clean Water Founder and Board Chair Darryl Larson noted that the youths were not only learning about the importance of clean water and hygiene, but were also empowered by the opportunity to be teachers and volunteers in a new community. “If you raise the bar, you’ll find that young people will rise to exceed your expectations,” Larson said.
FIJI Water is proud to partner with Give Clean Water as it seeks to install 200,000 home filtration systems over the next ten years. To date, the FIJI Water Foundation has donated $60,000 to the effort, resulting in 600 home water systems benefiting some 3,000 people.
More news and information:
Local Fiji Communities Get Clean Water Filters
FIJI Water Employees Give More Than $52,000 to Charities in Fiji
FIJI Water Spends a Day with Habitat for Humanity
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