Bula readers!
This week I wanted to focus on people in the community who are down to earth, humble and hardworking citizens of this country, plus they really are essential in keeping our nation going during these hard times with their selfless acts of charity.
Last weekend, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the inauguration of a wonderful project that has bought relief to a whole community and was executed with professionalism and accountability one would expect from an organisation such as the Rotary Club of Suva Peninsula Sunset.
The project itself was a solar electrification project for the community hall in Dromuna Village in the Province of Tailevu, an initiative of club president Vinod Mistry in liaison with village turaga ni koro Tomasi Tokalauvere and with the blessings of the village heads.
The system includes a series of solar panels, inverter units, storage batteries, lights and power outlets in the community hall which is situated centrally within Dromuna village.
The village itself is wonderfully clean, well laid out, but it is the residents of the village who really stand out.
The welcome was second to none and made everyone feel very much at home as soon as we arrived.
They opened their doors and hearts to us as we entered the village, and I am sure I can speak on behalf of all who attended the inauguration of the project, that we are indeed very grateful to each and every one of the residents for such a warm and loving welcome.
Now that the solar panel kit has been successfully commissioned, every child in the village will be able to enjoy reading, writing and studying in the evenings for the first time.
In addition to this the teachers in the village primary school have gracefully volunteered to give extra tutorial lessons in the evenings now that there is electricity and lighting available after nightfall.
The villagers are also now able to charge their mobile phone devices and connect to the rest of the world and even watch TV in the community hall.
The club also gave a chest freezer for storage of perishable items like seafood and meat, which are all run on electricity borne from the solar panels.
The solar electrification project is a move towards clean energy reliance rather than depending on noisy generators and fossil fuel energy sources which are detrimental to the environment and can also be hazardous.
Electricity has never been supplied to the village, making this project a lifeline for the community and serving them with electricity 24 hours a day.
After struggling for so long this gift has finally given access to amenities that were not available to the village in the past.
The solar electrification solution has been supplied and installed by Techno Fiji and is able to withstand Category 5 cyclones, which makes the system strong and robust in terms of strength and durability.
The collaboration of the villagers, Rotary Club of Suva Peninsula Sunset and service provider Techno Fiji has certainly impressed me and convinced me that with love in your heart anything is possible.
This has been proved by the individuals who participated in this project and carried it out smoothly and efficiently.
This project has also taught me that there is still so much work to be done in Fiji going forward, but with unsung heroes like this we are indeed fortunate and indebted to them for their commitment to nation building.
Finally, I am personally thankful to all the hardworking NGOs throughout Fiji, who continue to serve the people selflessly without fanfare and always with love in their heart, they are indeed the true heroes of Fiji and God bless you.
- Ajay Bhai Amrit is a freelance writer. The views expressed in this article are not necessarily shared by this newspaper.
