On 15 December the Rotary Club of Suva East held the South Pacific Premiere of Star Wars ‘ Rogue One. Funds raised will benefit the Rotary Pacific Water for Life Foundation. Established in 2007 by the Rotary Club of Suva East, Rotary Pacific Water is the club’s flagship project. RPW aims to provide safe, clean drinking water to rural communities in need all over Fiji. Only 47% of Fiji’s population have access to improved (treated) water and these are mainly urban inhabitants. Most rural communities rely upon wells, springs and creeks for their water.

To date RPW has completed 265 water and sanitation projects benefiting more than 70,000 Fiji citizens in more than 200 communities and schools. These projects are completed at an average cost of $30,088 FJD per project- though not all projects are so costly. The minimum cost of drilling a new borehole in Fiji, however, is $14,000 FJD; add on electrical works, pumps, and pipes and it is clear why these projects tend to be the most expensive to set up. Many communities can not manage the ongoing costs of fueling and maintaining boreholepumps, so RPW is looking into alternative options, including solar and mechanical hand pumps.

We especially want to thank our donors for their support of tonight’s premiere

• Div Damodar of Damodar Group
• Vodafone Fiji
• Rewa Dairy
• RCL Services
• Ritesh Chand Fruit Supply
• FMF
• Warwick & Cate Pleass of Pleass Global
• Dilawar Grewal of AugeoAsiaPacific
• Mark Komene of DHL
• Professor Atul Raturi

Thank you for coming out on such a wet night. With support from you and tonight’s sponsors we’re thousands of dollars closer to our joint goal of bringing access to safe, clean water to every corner of Fiji.