Hygiene and clothing packs donated by Rotary Clubs Suva North and Suva East

More than twenty members of Suva Rotary and Rotaract Clubs met in Qauia Community Hall on Saturday March 15^th to present a donation of clothing and sanitary supplies to families affected by severe floods two weeks ago.

Driving from Lami Town down into low-lying Qauia Village, it is not a surprise that this community was one of the worst affected by the severe floods throughout the Central Division on Thursday, 27th February.

According to Qauia Turaga ni koro Savenaca Bulivakarua, ‘This was the worst flood the community has experienced in recent memory, bigger even than the flood of 1986.’ The suddenly rising waters reached the roofs of many homes in the Lami River valley. Residents were grateful that the flood hit in the afternoon rather than at night.

Still, more than 290 families in this village of 3,000 people were affected by the flood, with bedding, clothes, furniture, appliances and school supplies among the long list of items destroyed.

To help meet this need, Suva-based Rotary clubs collected donations of clothing, bedding, and cookware and fundraised to purchase 100 packs of laundry soap, toilet paper, sanitary napkins, mosquito coils, matches, and other hygienic items.

‘We were advised by Red Cross that sanitation packs were widely needed in many communities,’ said Suva North Rotary Club President Jinita Prasad.

In addition to this, Warwick Pleass, Past President of the Rotary Club of  Suva East, facilitated a donation of more than 200 sets of new adults and children’s clothing collected and sent from Auckland.

Mr Bulivakarua expressed sincere gratitude as he accepted the donation on behalf of the community. ‘Your presence is a source of hope, inspiration, and courage for all of us,’ he said.