W
hile in the grocery store near our offices in San Diego,
I found myself standing in an aisle with shelves filled
with bottled water. There were hundreds of bottles - gallon
jugs of a generic store brand, liter bottles adorned with
messages about the origin of the water and cases of
individual sized bottles shrink-wrapped for my bulk purchase. A whole aisle
was devoted to water. I have to admit, I had never paid much attention to that
aisle of water. I was both overwhelmed and numb.
Today thousands of families in Fiji will drink water from a plastic bottle too.
Their bottle has no fancy label or marketing message about the water’s
source. The water was probably drawn from a well or gathered from a
nearby river. Most likely, it is contaminated.
Contaminated drinking water. Although they are words I had rarely thought
about, they have a significant impact on families in Fiji. Children are missing
an average of 4 school days per month and adults are too sick to work
approximately 1 day each month, all due to illness from the water they drink.
Families are living with sickness and disease that is completely preventable.
The most common symptom is diarrhea, which can lead to fatal dehydration
in infants and the elderly.
The Tabua family is one family that was living with a daily battle of “runny
tummy” and persistent cough. They live in Sigatoka in the Lawai Village, and
I met them on my last trip to Fiji. They are a family of four that used to get
their water from a well. Elenoa, the mom, shared with me the story of their
journey from sickness to health.
Two months before my visit, Give Clean Water visited the Tabuas and
provided them with a clean water system. Elenoa shared with excitement
in her voice that there was no more “runny tummy” for the kids. They have
been at school every day the last week! Elenoa said, “Water is like medicine.
If we drink the filtered water, we are healthy.”
The Tabua family
Using the Give Clean
Water clean water system
In Fiji there are more than 50,000 families like the Tabuas
that do not have access to clean drinking water. Water is
essential to life, and clean water has rippling effects to all
aspects of life. Clean drinking water improves health and
school attendance. It increases the family’s budget to
pay for other necessities.
I am forever amazed with the beauty of Fiji and the
warmth of its people. It is humbling to be welcomed with
a loud “Bula!” greeting every time I visit a family. Their
inviting personalities are infectious. Behind that welcome
is the reality of dirty water and the deep needs that these
people face on a daily basis.
Contaminated water may not be something you worry
about because you have access to aisles of bottled water.
However, the availability of clean water is life giving to
families like the Tabuas. To learn more or help, please visit
www.givecleanwater.org.
AUGUST 2018 | GBSAN.COM 61