Water For Life

Impact Report2011-2015

Yasawa Islands, FijiWritten, Compiled, and Edited by Katie Drakeford and Daniel Lund

Contents1. Introduction2. Life in the Yasawa Islands3. The GVI ‘Water For Life’ Program4. Our Partners5. Water Infrastructure Overview Audit6. Community Involvement7. Volunteer Training8. Impact by Community9. Sustainable Sanitation Solutions10. Wash Awareness11. Disaster Relief Operations12. Women and Water13. Conclusion

Fiji is a country known for white sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and colorful coral reefs. The area that best represents this stereotypical image of Fiji is the Yasawa Islands. Consequently, the Yasawa Island Chain is a popular tourist destination and tourism an important source of local income. However, despite growing tourism infrastructure, local communities con-tinue to struggle to for one of their basic human rights: the right to safe drinking water.

The Yasawa Island group is an archipelago made up of over 20 volcanic islands that lie west of Viti Levu Island. Some of these islands have natural springs, while others have water access through boreholes or wells. These water sources are used primarily for cooking, washing and bathing by communities. Natural water catchment on the islands is poor due to deforestation and the porous volcanic rock that forms the basis of most islands. For drinking water, the majority of villag-es rely on rainwater harvesting (RWH), which is a much cleaner and safer source to groundwater . However, during the increasingly intense and long dry season communities struggle to meet the demand for water especially in the central and northern Yasawa Islands. In the past villages have relied on brackish water from their springs, boreholes and wells or on water transported by the Fijian government from Viti Levu. The Yasawa Islands experience some of the hottest and driest weather conditions in Fiji.

Climate projections and the analysis of rainfall over the past ten years forecasts increasingly erratic rainfall patterns, longer and more intense dry seasons, higher average temperatures in the Yasawa Islands. Reduced natural rainwater catchment due to fires and changing land use are also having long term negagive impacts on water catchment. These localized hy-dro meteorological factors paired with rising sea-levels, increased salt water intrusion, reduced land fertility, and dramatic beach erosion will continue to pressurize communities abilities to adapt their livelihoods to ensure long term food and water security for island communities.

Many communities in the region lack the funds and infrastructure to ensure an adequate amount of safe drinking water throughout the dry season. Rainwater tanks are expensive, weather patterns increasingly unpredictable, and as result there is more pressure on communities to plan ahead in order to ensure the safe storage of drinking water for longer periods of time. To successfully collect and store rainwater it is important that communities have the support and training to control and monitor water collection and ensure the safe storage of water.

The lack of safe drinking water during the dry season impacts education and health in Yasawan communities. Many of the school’s in the Yasawas have boarding students who are then unable to stay on the school grounds during period of water shortage do to health risks associated with sanitation and a lack of adequent drinking water. For example in 2012, boarding students at Ratu Meli Memorial School missed 3 weeks of term 3 due to water shortages.

Rainwater Harvesting presents a relatively inexpensive and simple solution to the water problems faced by communities in the Yasawas. During the rainy season, there is adequate precipitation,that if collected and safely stored, can help to fulfill the drinking water needs of communities throughout the dry season. However, many villages in the region lacked sufficient water holding capacity and infrastructure as well as the awareness and training to do so.

In 2011, Global Vision International (GVI) began a long-term Water Security Program designed to increase the capacity of the region to respond to growing water security issues through a program of assessment, training, awareness, fundraising, infrastructure improvements, and new infrastructure installation.

GVI is an international non-governmental organization that is primarily funded by volunteers. Volunteers from all over the world donate their time and money to participate in GVI projects. During the course of the 2011-2014 ‘Wai Ni Bula’ Water Security Project volunteers helped fund the materials and provide the labor needed to install RWH systems in ten commu-nities in the Yasawa Islands with the help of key partners and outside funding.

From June 2011 – August 2014, GVI personnel developed strong ties within target villages during the assessment, training, and construction implementation phases of the project.This report summarizes the impact within each community and the overall region and describes the key lessons learnt over the course of the 38 month project.

Introduction

Life in the Yasawa Islands

The Yasawa Islands have some of the lowest yearly precipitation levels in all of Fiji. During the majority of the months of the dry season (May – October) there is often so little rainfall that very little water can be collected in RWH tanks. Additionally, boreholes, wells, and springs run severely low. The lack of rainfall also means that the landscape is extremely dry and it is common for bush fires to occur. Fires can destroy crops but can also damage the pipes that transport water from a bore hole or spring to the tanks that store it. However, from November to April, the monthly average precipitation is approximately 217mm. During this period large quantities of safe drinking water can be collected and stored. A roof area of 32.4 meters squared can capture over 5,600 liters of water per month if, during those months, it rains 217mm (see Figure 1). Rainwater Harvesting is a key tool to support daily life in the Yasawa Islands.

GVI’s Water For Life (Wi Ni Bula) Program targeted ten Yasawan communities throughout the course of the project. Through surveys and direct engagement with key members of the communities, program leaders ascer-tained that each of the target villages were using a differing mixture of water sources during the course of the year and that each community or village has, due to different geography very different water security profiles throughout the year. Communities in this region utilize a combination of rainwater tanks, wells, boreholes and springs to supply fresh water. Fresh water sources vary in each village and the method in which they are cap-tured also varies. Many villages use dams or pumps to collect water in large (40,000L – 80,000L) concrete tanks (many of which were installed in the 1970’s), which then run into the villages through PVC pipes. During the rainy season, villages have reported that their dams become clogged with mud thus contaminating the water. Conversely, during the dry season, the dams, springs and boreholes often get dangerously low, forcing the vil-lages to regulate when they open the collection tanks. Below is a brief summary of the situation of each village in terms of their access to fresh water.

The GVI ‘Water For Life’ Program

Objectives and Goals

GVI’s main Water For Life project objective was to assist communities in increasing access to safe drinking water through rainwater harvesting. Through rainwater harvesting, GVI aims to contribute to the UN’s Millennium Devel-opment Goal of halving, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. GVI advocates “a human rights approach to water and sanitation, with [an] emphasis on account-ability, access to information, non-discrimination, attention to vulnerable groups and participation” . As outlined in the Manual on the Right to Water and Sanitation, “access to water and sanitation is necessary for health, education, economic development and the environment” (COHRE, AAAS, SDC and UN-HABITAT, Manual on the Right to Water and Sanitation 2007)

This program has worked towards the following key goals:

Goal 1: Ensure communities have access to a minimum of 3 liters of safe drinking water per person per day through the effective assessment of water infrastructure and the implementation of community support infrastruc-ture improvements and new infrastructure installations.

Goal 2: Increase the capacity of communities to respond to and manage water security issues through the delivery of awareness building information sessions, in the form of presentations, informal talks and lesson plans and spe-cific training on RWH systems maintenance, common problems with RWH systems, and water conservation.

Goal 3: Build leadership capacity in communities by identifying and engaging with key community members of villages and schools who will take responsibility for reporting on, responding to and overseeing community wellbe-ing.

Key performance indicators

1. Through the comparison of audits of water infrastructure before and after project implementation, provide clear evi-dence of the increased overall access to functional rainwater harvesting collection capacity in target villages.

2. Through quarterly return visits post-awareness imple-mentation, ascertain the level of RWH system upkeep and maintenance, gauge integration of system upkeep in daily routines.

3. Asses through survey of target community members how new methodologies, awareness, and infrastructure has impacted daily life during dry season in comparison to pre-vious years.

Roof area x precipitation x runoff co-efficient (0.8) = Liters of rain

collected

Our Partners

MWH Global

MWH Global is a global wet infrastructure firm, providing technical engineering, construction services and consulting solutions to protect, enhance, store and distribute water.

MWH Global made a (NZ)$10,000 donation to the GVI Water For Life Program and continues to act as a key funding part-ner for water security operations in Fiji. Over 207,900 liters of rainwater collection capacity were made available through the combination of new system installations and efficiency improvements and major repairs to existing infrastructure.

Global Vision International - Charitable Trust

The GVI Charitable Trust is a UK registered Charity that works as a fundraising mechanism to support critical humanitarian and environmental initiatives via GVI’s international network of projects and partners.

www.gvi.org

The Ba Provincial Council

The Ba Provincial Council, has been a key contrib-utor to GVI’s operations in the Yasawa Islands. The Ba Provincial Council has support GVI with relevant permissions and provided consultation in relation to GVI’s reports and proposals. The Ba Provincial Coun-cil was instrumental in the early stages of GVI’s oper-ational establishment in the Yasawa Islands.

The International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance

“The International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance (IRHA) was created in Geneva in November 2002 following recommen-dations formulated during the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg two months earlier. The man-date called for the federation and unification of the disparate rainwater harvesting (RWH) movement around the world, to promote rainwater as a valuable water resource and to build on achievements in this field for the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals. In partnership with the most eminent organizations and indi-viduals in the field, the IRHA provides a lobbying and advocacy platform for RWH. It supports the growth of RWH solutions to water supply problems. It also provides a forum for its mem-bers to work together or share experiences, and thus for the benefit of people living with water scarcity.”

AusAid Access to Quality Education ProgramThe goal of the AQEP program is to, in conjunction with the Fiji Ministry of Education and other relevant stakeholders to improve the ability of children from very poor communities, including those with a disabili-ty, to access a quality school education. AusAid’s AQEP program and GVI have partnered in order to improve the sustainability of sanitation and water security infra-structure in Fiji’s remote rural schools.

New Zealand Rotary and The Yasawa Trust Foundation

In early 2012, the Wanaka and Queensland New Zealand Rotary clubs made an incredi-bly generous donation to the Water for Life Project, that has facilitated a significant in-crease in water holding capacity and collec-tion efficiency across three Northern Yasawan Villages where access to fresh water is lim-ited. Through both the donation of funding and man power by these two rotary clubs, the Yasawa Trust Foundation and GVI water security program has been able to add over 83,200 liters of new water holding capacity in new rainwater harvesting systems, carry out efficiency improvements on over 100,000 liters worth of existing collection capacity, and install 15 filter systems across three villages.

The Fiji Ministry of Youth and Sports

The Fiji Ministry of Youth and Sports is GVI’s key governmental partner. GVI works with the Ministry to promote opportunities for Fiji youth through capac-ity building, income generation, and collaborative partnerships.

Invoke is a locally based social enterprise founded on the belief that the challenges associated with climate change also offer unique opportunities for innovation and positive social change. Invoke offers a unique im-plementation solution – both cost effective and impact focused geared at removing the divisions between im-plementer and recipients. Invoke has provided proj-ect design and operational support to GVI since 2011 and provided full time support with the implementa-tion and design of the Water for Life program

Water Infrastructure Overview Audit

In August 2012, GVI Fiji pro-duced a 168 page audit detail-ing the condition of water infra-structure across ten of the most drought prone villages in the central/northern Yasawas. This document, represented one of the most in-depth assessments of infrastructure historically in the region and was utilized as the benchmark for designing GVI’s program priorities and funding strategy

Example Audit Methodology

The primary objectives are as follows:

1) Visuallyinspectallwatersystems(tanklid,guttering,notewaterlevel,checkfilter,noteanyleaks or damage)2) Document the condition of each system3) Document parts needed4) Document components used on the system For exampleVillage: NaisisilliHouse #57 Newly installed System - GVI Funded1x5200litertank,4lengthsguttering,4gutteringconnectors,8brackets,2xstopends,1xfiltersystem with tap and all connectionsStatus: Collecting waterCondition:Filterchanged–1xfilterusedGPS point: XXXXXXXPhoto Number: img_12345

5) Photograph each system and ensure you have a way of connecting the photo to your notes6) Place a GPS point on all /GVI funded new systems (new meaning tank and all components were installed by GVI)7) Village map – one volunteer can be responsible for drafting a basic map of the village, locating the water sources and other notable structures – church, school,

ROLES

The team must be methodical in its approach to the work as it will be easy to double up on infor-mation, assess the same tank twice etc. Recommended role split is as follows:

1) Photographer, documenting each tank and referring it to the data collected either by the order of the photos or from the photo’s image number on the SD card

2) Data Scribe – responsible for writing down all the data on each system and ensuring that all required information has been recorded at each work site. Also responsible for geo tagging tanks with GPS.

3) Assessor – this team member will assess the system and provide the data for the scribe. Assessormayneedtoclimbuponrooftocheckguttering,willneedtoopenfilters,lookinsidetanks, interview villagers on the system etc.

4) Cartographer- This member of staff will move freely around the village and create a map of the manage landmarks, assess, water sources in the village. The mapping of all villages should be simple and functional

5) Repairs – This person will work with the assessor to carry out on the spot repairs / improve-mentssuchasfilterchange,guttercleans,gutteringrepairsetc.Repairsshouldbringbasictoolsandreplacementmaterialstothefieldandmustensurethananyworkcarriedoutornewmateri-als used are documented by the Scribe.

6) Village Liaison Surveyor- this person will be responsible for interviewing locals and collect-ing data through conversation. The information can either be written down or recorded with an audio recording device. The idea is to ask questions, collect quotes, note requests/problems, and learn more about the village and its current challenges through conversation. Some of the types of questions that should be asked and info recorded could include the following:

a) What is the current situation with water in the village?b) How are the systems working?c) What is the current main source of drinking water?e) What vegetables are grown in the village?f) Fishing practices? (if marine team participate they can handle marine related inquiries)g) Do the villagers lock the tanks?

Household Surveys

One of the first steps in the process in each community was to conduct surveys in each household in order to create a profile for each community complete with key information on population size, gender split, information on employment and livelihoods, and data on relative level of education of each community (see Appendix A). The surveys also collect specific information on issues with water usage, and estimated village demand for drinking water in relation to popula-tion . However, the surveys are not always representative of the correct amount of water needed to satisfy the minimum requirements for drinking water in a community (3L per person per day). Therefore, GVI uses a basic calculation to obtain the demand from drinking water in a community.

The minimum RWH capacity required by each village was calculated by multiplying the population by 3 liters of drinking water multiplied again by 180 days in the dry season. Since the Yasawa Islands have a very distinct dry and wet season for half the year each, the number of days in the dry season is simply half the year. This calculation results in the minimum about of holding capacity required to ensure that a community has 3 liters per person per day for half the year assuming that at the beginning of the dry seasons it was possible for all tanks to be full. This is obviously not possible to ensure and is unlikely, however the calculation provides a starting point for developing a minimum base line and does not take into account other water sources such as wells from which water can be boiled to be made potable. As a result, this calcula-tion was seen to be conservative enough to provide a useful and realistic baseline for the project.

After household surveys, water infrastructure surveys are carried out in order to audit the available sources, RWH hold-ing capacity, and specific problems faced (see Appendix B). With information on the demand for drinking water and the available supply, GVI personnel were then able to determine specific priorities and needs with each community in relation to demonstrated capacity deficits and infrastructure gaps.

Site Assessments

After the completion of the large scale water audit of the region - various phases of site assessments were carried out throughout the process to asses current fresh water sources and determine ideal locations for future RWH systems. Site assessments include village mapping to identify distribution of households and water sources. RWH systems are ideally dispersed throughout a community, allowing household usage to be spread across all tanks evenly. Houses identified for RHW systems must meet the following criteria: • A large galvanized steel sheet roof that is not painted or rusted. If a roof is painted, ensure that it is not lead-based paint• A roof that is high enough for the down pipe to have an adequate slope from fascia board to tank for system to collect maximum water• The fascia board must be in place and not rotting. Ensure roof overhangs the fascia board by the correct distance for the guttering to catch the rainfall runoff.

Components of rainwater harvesting system and installation process

The rainwater harvesting systems installed by GVI offer a basic means by which to capture rainfall from a surface and divert it into storage. The systems are designed to use locally sourced hardware and utilize the most cost effective and durable materials available locally. Once materials are sourced, shipped, and transported to the work site. The following steps can all be completed within 2-5 days.

Note on Filtration – at the beginning of the program, simple filter systems were installed on each RWH system. How-ever, due to the difficulty in sourcing filters, cost, issues with maintenance, and added vulnerability to the source due to the risk of damage to the filter and resulting loss of water, these filters were discontinued by GVI

• Construction of concrete base (should be 2ft larger than the diameter of the tank – commonly 5,300L = 7ft x 7ft base and 10,000L = 8ft x 8ft base)• Installation of brackets to fascia board at correct pitch• Installation of guttering• Cleaning and sealing of tank• Installation of tank, connection of down pipe from guttering to tank• Installation of tap to tank • Construction of drainage area below tap

Community involvement

When working with communities to install or improve water infrastructure, GVI aims to ensure sustainability by involving community members in each step of the project. Prior to commencing any work in a community, GVI presents a sevusevu to that community. This is a traditional way of asking permission for being in the village by presenting the village with a gift of kava root . This ceremony often provides a forum to discuss the objectives of the program and further intro-duce the concept and aims of the operation.Once permission is granted and objectives discussed, GVI staff engage with key community stakeholders and committee members to collect more in depth data on the water profile of the community.

During the construction phase of projects, village youth and other community members are tasked by the village leadership to support with the construction and are given specific training when working alongside volunteers. Finally, and most importantly, following any infrastructure improvement or the installation of new RWH systems, GVI’s personnel provide a presentation on how to main-tain the tanks and safely store and collect water (see Appendix C). This presen-tation provides key information on common problems, price of materials and why it is important to regularly clean the RWH systems. This information is also given to community members informally as the construction is taking place. It is vital to ensure the community has the tools to deal with any issues that arise in the future.

Volunteer training

New RWH systems are ideally installed by a maximum of three GVI volunteers supported by as many interested com-munity members as possible and supervised by one GVI staff member. Volunteers are given specific training and ori-entation before they take part in any construction activities. The training provides an overview of how site assessments are carried out, a step by step guide to how a RWH system is installed, health and safety and cultural information. The remainder of the training is carried out on site as the volunteers are guided through each stage of the project.

Impact By Community

Liters of rainwater harvesting storage / collection capacity added

Aerial View of Project location

Project impact highlights

Key Village Profile information Project location report layout

Enedala Settlement

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

Intial RWH Capacity Additional capacity added through additional RWH

Systems

Addiitonal Capacity made available

through infrastructure

repairs, refurbishments, and

upgrades

Current Existing Capacity post-Water

For Life program

Enedala Settlement

Enedala Settlement

• 30,700 Liters of RWH capacity added• 2 New RWH systems installed• 4 guttering systems added / repaired• 3 cement tank bases constructed

Naisisili Village

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000


Systems

Addiitonal Capacity made available through

infrastructure repairs, refurbishments, and

upgrades

Current Existing Capacity post-Water For Life

program

Naisisili

Naisisili

• 109,100 Liters of RWH capacity added• 7 New RWH systems installed• 6 complete systems refurbished

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000


Systems


through infrastructure repairs,

refurbishments, and upgrades


For Life program

Nacula

Nacula

Nacula Village

• 185,100 Liters of RWH capacity added• 3 new RWH systems installed• 9 existing systems refurbished

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

45000


Systems




upgrades


For Life program

Ratu Meli Memorial School

Ratu Meli School

Ratu Meli Memorial School

• 40,400 Liters of RWH capacity added• 2 new RWH systems installed• 6 existing non-functional systems refurbished

Malakati Village

0100002000030000400005000060000700008000090000

Intial RWH Capacity

Additional capacity added

through additional RWH

Systems

Addiitonal Capacity made

available through

infrastructure repairs,



program

Malakati

Malakati

• 67,700 liters added• 6 new RWH systems installed• 4 existing systems refurbished

Navotua Village

• 55,600 liters of RWH capacity added• 3 new RWH systems added• 7 guttering systems installed• 4 cement bases constructed

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000


Systems

Addiitonal Capacity made available through

infrastructure repairs, refurbishments, and

upgrades


program

Navotua

Navotua

Matacawalevu Village

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000


Systems





For Life program

Matacawalevu

Matacawalevu

• 26,300 liters of RWH capacity added• 5 tanks installed• 7 guttering systems installed• 7 cement bases constructed

Vuaki Village

020000400006000080000

100000120000140000160000180000200000


Systems





For Life program

Vuaki

Vuaki

• 125,800 liters of RWH capacity added• 3 new RWH systems installed• 10 guttering systems installed• 5 bases constructed

Nabukeru Village

Tamasua Village

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

Intial RWH Capacity



Systems


available through

infrastructure repairs,


Current Existing

Capacity post-Water For Life

program

Tamasua

Tamasua

• 79,600 liters of RWH capacity added• 4 new RWH systems installed• 5 guttering systems installed

• 119,600 liters of RWH capacity added• 2 RWH systems installed• 6 guttering systems installed• 2 cement bases constructed

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

Intial RWH Capacity



Systems


available through infrastructure

repairs, refurbishments, and upgrades


program

Nabukeru

Nabukeru

• 57,600 liters of RWH capacity added• 4 tanks installed• 9 guttering systems installed• 5 cement bases constructed

Yaqeta Village

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000


Systems




upgrades


For Life program

Yaqeta

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

Nac

ula

Nai

sisi

liM

alak

ati

Tam

asua

Nab

uker

uE

neda

laM

atac

awal

evu

Vua

kiN

avot

uaR

MM

SY

aqet

a

Intial RWH Capacity

Additional capacity added through additional RWH Systems

Addiitonal Capacity made available through infrastructure repairs, refurbishments, and upgrades

Global Vision International Fiji developed a low cost, high efficiency composting toilet design through pilot projects run in the Ya-sawas between 2012-2013. In 2015, GVI re-visited the design with the construction of a composting toilet system for Navunisea School in Dawasamu. GVI, then completed two ad-ditional composting toilets for schools in the Dawasamu District School with the support of volunteers and funding from the The Global Perspectives program run by Stelly’s School, Canada.

The AusAid AQEP Funded Composting Toilets Project

Somolevu Catholic School is located on Matacawalevu Island in the Nacula Tikina of the Yasawa Island chain. The school relies upon rainwater as its primary source of fresh water. Somolevu Catholic School has 107 pupils who come from four villages on three islands. Among these students there are 16 pupils who board from Monday to Friday at the school.

The school has suffered from on-going sanitation problems due to ongoing water security issues. Up until April 2015, the school has only ever had pit toilets. The dormitory had flush toilets for a short period of time but required water from the spring to keep them operational. As the source is unreliable the toilets broke and students reverted back to using pit toilets. The pit toilets that the day scholars and boarders were using were unsanitary and unsafe as the pits were full and many of the doors not functional. As a result of the condition of the pit toilets, the students often practiced open-defecation; preferring to use the bushes behind the pit toilets rather than the toilets themselves. The dry seasons in the Yasawa Islands are getting longer and more severe, in recent years this has resulted in multiple school closures throughout the dry season for Somolevu Catholic School.

In response, the Australian Government’s Access to Quality Education Program (AQEP) proposed the construction of six water-less compost toilets to provide emergency response assistance for the disaster affected school. Composting toilets have the ability to provide safe sanitary facilities for the students regardless of the availability of fresh water.

GVI Fiji was chosen as the lead implementer for this pilot project due to successful previous experience designing composting toilet solutions for schools. From April to June 2015, GVI designed and built a large composting toilet block for the school and carried out a series of workshops with the school and community to ensure the long term sustainability and upkeep of the new facility. These water free toilets have provided the school with greater operational resilience through this safe method of sanita-tion that does not rely upon the limited fresh water available.

Sustainable Solutions for Sanitation

• Water Tank Maintenance and Upkeep• Hand-washing Awareness and ‘Tippy Tap’ low cost hand-wash station construction• Composting Toilet Introduction and Training• Water Infrastructure assessment and repair

WASH Awareness For Schools With Communities For Mothers With Leaders

Disaster Relief Operations

In December 2012, Cyclone Evan hit Fiji with the eye of the storm passing just north of the villages GVI works with. As a result of the 270km/h winds, there was much damage to infrastructure and crops, compromising both food and water security. GVI assisted the worst affected villages with food aid, distributing almost 2000kg of rice, flour, lentils and sugar among 200 households. In addition, there was damage to RWH systems in these villages, in response, GVI repairs to 25 systems across 6 villages and 2 schools. The table below shows the distribution of these repairs. For full achievement report see Appendix F.

In Fiji’s traditional island communities, women are the center of the home- responsible for childcare, housekeeping, as well as hunting, crafts and income generation, and the general sanitation practice of the home. Though decision making with regards to village infrastructure and land use is largely a male dominated role, it is by and large the women who col-lect and store water in the home, direct children to drinking water, source water for cooking and washing, and ensure the children are bathed. The rainwater harvesting systems in the Yasawa Islands that have either been repaired or newly in-stalled have been in many cases installed to collect water from the roofs of family homes and been as a result included in many Women’s remit when it comes to upkeep and monitoring water levels. GVI’s program of awareness and our focus on themes such as sanitation, RWH upkeep, and water conservation has been as a result delivered to both the Men’s Youth groups and the village Women’s groups after overcoming the initial tendency for our project leaders to be directed solely to the village headmen.

As the traditional keepers of the home, the women of the Yasawa Islands have had an integral role in the monitoring of water sources and been the front line for protecting both children and the community from unsafe water sources. A partic-ular area in which Women have played a vital role is with regards to water conservation. Through assessments it has be-come clear in some specific cases that water shortages could have been prevented if water was used more frugally at the end of the rainy season and if more emphasis was placed on stockpiling water in preparation for the dry season. Women’s use of water for washing, cooking, bathing children, and maintaining the home has meant that the women of the village have the most active role and greatest impact on the use of large volumes of water and are as a result the most effective stewards when it comes to water conservation in remote island villages.

Women have played an integral role in our project’s ability to ensure the quality and availability of collected water through the monitoring of tanks and small water sources and through the role they play in teaching and maintaining standards of sanitation in the home.

Here in Fiji, our work to improve water security has been greatly informed through an ongoing effort to include Women in the assessment process and in the conversation surrounding awareness and through the continual recognition of the role women play in the training of the next generation of rainwater harvesters.

Women and Water

Monitoring and Evaluation

GVI completed a comprehensive survey of new and recently imporved rainwater harvesting systems in September 2014. During the time of the survey, the effects of a long dry season due to an El Nino year were being strongly felt. The major-ity of the villages had only a few tanks with water remaining inside. However, the Government had begun shipping water to the villages and schools most affected by the drought. GVI surveyed 123 tanks across eight villages and two schools. Matacawalevu and Yaqeta were excluded as these had been the most recent communities GVI worked in and was there-fore confident that no major changes to the rainwater harvesting systems had occurred since the last visit. The below chart indicates the findings.

In response, further follow up WASH training through workshops as well as basic maintenance support was provided. Communities were encouraged to continue to demonstrate best practice and to ensure that all community members work together to secure tanks and ensure efficient collection potential throughout year.

The recent site visits concluded that accountability for maintenace and source upkeep was one of the major challenges in many com-munities. Though the provision of training and WASH awareness significantly improved community rain water harvesting performance in communities where workshop attendance and community engagement was high - the overall quality of upkeep across all RWH systems in any one community was fairly inconsistant in all the target communities.

The importance of securing tanks in order to keep water free free from mosquitoes, vermin and debris while keeping catchment ar-eas clean is in general the main maintenance concerns when storing water long term in basic tanks. Ensuring that as many community members as possible have anunderstanding of the serious health risks involved if water sources are contaminated remains a key focus for water awareness nation wide.

Across the ten communities involved in the intiative, WASH teams recorded varying levels of involvement. The community members who have been heavily involved with the process from training to construction have been invaluable. Each of these individuals helped to improve the process of implementation.

Active interest from village leadership in target villages was vital to ensure success. The proactive involvement of theTuraga ni koro in Matacawalevu, Vuaki and Enedala demonstrated how much can be achieved through the active partnership between GVI and commu-nities when key leaders were fully engaged with the importance of water security. The level of engagement demonstrated by village - youth, village leadership, and women’s groups was pivitol in influencing the sustainability of the RWH systems.

Although within each target village there were existing water committees within the community stucture busy and disjointed community routines have continued to impact the productivity of communal intiatives in many of the areas of the Yasawas where tourism is a major source of income.

The split between families involved with traditional subsistance lifestyles and the lifesytles of families reliant on tourism for paid em-ployement has impacted traditional communalism and village acitvity planning and leadership. This fracture was apparent in the target villages based nearby to tourism infrastucture.

In these communities workshop attendance was not has high as it was in the more remote villages. Individual involvement in the entire process is important to create ownership, skills, and motivation and as a result the successs of the capacity buulding process from train-ing to construction was highly dependant on high levels of consistant attendance.

Though most upkeep issues with RWH systems are simple problems that can be easily fixed, if these issues go unaddressed large quan-tities of drinking water can be impacted either through contamination or ineefficnet collection.

GVI worked with village leadership to identify key points of contact for each RWH system to ensure source protection and upkeep. Information packs for water wardens were distributed across target villages - these packs include methodologies and resources to help communities mainatain village wide rainwater collection and storage networks and respond to the differing challenges and preparation requirements that define both dry and wet seasons.

The result of these surveys indicated a lack of maintenance in certain key villages. Based on WASH training workshop attendance data, it was con-firmed that there was a fairly significant level of correlation between the quality of system upkeep and the level of attendance at intial workshops. In villages where workshop and training session attendance was low or restricted to one key interest group during GVI’s intial interventions, return survey findings were more likely to highligh upkeep and maintenance issues and conversely in villages where engagement was high - cited upkeep issues during return surveys tended to be much lower.

Conclusion

904,900 liters of rainwater harvesting capacity added

across 10 villages

and five islands

for the benefit of over 1500 people

Rainwater harvesting has the potential to provide a safe primary water source for remote island communities. CC DRR tool kit, lessons learned, capacity built - physical and community

Through the hard work of national and international volunteers and with the generous support of a wide range of partners, stakeholders,and donors the Yasawa Water For Life program has had a signifi-cant impact on the water security of the target area of this remote and disaster- vulnerable island chain . Over the course of its three and a half year life span and project cycle, GVI has installed 40 RWH tanks and improved or repaired over 82 RWH systems.

“The International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance considers Global Vision International Fiji as an excellent example of locally based volunteer not for profit organization engaged in assisting communities to increase access to safe drinking water through rainwater harvesting. IRHA works to promote the experience of GVI Fiji in small islands in other part of the world.”

Ms Vessela MontaExecutive DirectorThe International Harvesting Alliance

“The spring does not always give us enough water to use for drinking and cooking. The rainwater tanks you have provided will really help us!.”

Mr Selema NatoviChief of Matacawalevu Village

“Before MWH and GVI brought the water tanks people relied on a spring which is dammed behind the village for drinking water. But with heavy rain, the spring gets muddy and the drinking water gets dirty so it is much safer to get drinking water from the rainwater tanks. Over Christmas, many people who have moved to the mainland return to the village and since they are not used to drinking water from the spring it is important to have rainwater for them to drink so they don’t get sick.”

Mr Meli Rainima Matacawalevu Village Headman

“We thank MWH and hope to keep working with them and GVI to make sure everyone has enough water to drink. The village youth will help collect the materials needed to make the concrete base and help with the labor.”

Mr Etuate RatudradraVuake Village Headman

“I would like to thank the GVI and the MWH Water Security Project for reaching out to help communities where they are most vulnerable and where it matters most.”

Mr Filipe Nainoca Director General, Fiji Red Cross Society

On behalf of the school management, teachers, parents and students of Dawasamu Secondary School, I would like to extend my thanks to MWH for providing us with 5000L of rain water capacity. This will provide over 170 students and teachers with clean, safe drinking water. Before your dona-tion we were experiencing a severe water crisis at the school as our local dam was becoming contaminated and children were being forced to drink unsafe water. This new rain wa-ter system has gone a long way in helping us overcome this problem. We are very grateful for your wonderful support. Vinaka vakalevu

Mr Sikeli KoroSchool Manager Dawasamu Secondary School

I must acknowledge the effort by the GVI team to improve essence of life to the youth, school children and the commu-nity at large.

Mr Secci WaqabacaFiji Ministry of Youth and Sports

“GVI Fiji employs a holistic approach to community support and development integrating local youth and internation-al volunteer led programs to promote sustainable village infrastructure, educational enrichment, and environmentally conscious resource use. GVI works with local stakeholders to make valuable contributions to remote communities in a culturally sensitive way.”World Youth Student TravelGVI Fiji Outstanding Volunteer Project Award Winner 2013

‘Water is always a major problem in the Western Division during the dry season. A proactive approach is being taken so that people do not suffer during the dry season.’Mr. Joeli CawakiCommissioner Western 2013

Documents

Water For Life