PRESS RELEASE

Rotary New Zealand responding to water and sanitation issues in Fiji

Clean water and sanitation are vital to health. In Fiji Rotary New Zealand have been targeting 22 communities that are experiencing severe hardship mainly because they don’t have access to clean water for their drinking, cleaning and cooking needs. For the past decade, Rotary New Zealand has partnered with Rotary Pacific Water for Life (RPWFL) to provide clean and reliable water sources to 8 villages, 9 settlements and 5 primary schools. With support from the New Zealand Government’s Partnerships for International Development Fund, further financial support is now in place until March 2017. “The water and sanitation projects make a huge difference to the villagers’ health” spokesperson Stuart Batty said. Having safe water close at hand means that the women and children no longer have to walk long distances to fetch water from creeks and streams that may be contaminated. Clean water and sanitation reduce the risk of people becoming ill and possibly dying from water-borne diseases and diarrhea - children are particularly vulnerable. Children really benefit when water and sanitation in schools is improved. Where schools used to have to close when water ran out or sewage systems failed, now they can remain open all the time. www.rnzwcs.org

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