Two church communities identified as having limited access to regular and clean water have been blessed by Bank South Pacific (BSP) through the Bank’s Community Project initiative.
Aleisa West and Saleimoa Uta were identified through consultations with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) as some of Samoa’s villages that have limited access to water supply.
BSP selected the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa at Aleisa West and the Seventh Day Adventist Laveai Church at Saleimoa Uta to be the central locations for the water tanks to allow nearby families access to water.
BSP carries out community projects across the region in all its trading countries. The two 5,000-litre water tanks were distributed last December to close off BSP Samoa’s 2019 projects.
Samoa’s Country Manager for Bank South Pacific Taituuga Maryann Lameko-Vaai says BSP is proud to donate the water tanks to the two selected congregations who will facilitate access for church members and individual families.
“This is part of our promise right from the beginning that we would give back to the Samoan community to improve their standard of living and assist with basic needs,”
“We have found through our work in the community that water tanks are highly needed by individual families and village groups”.
Pati Crichton of the Congregation Christian Church of Samoa at Aleisa West and William Kapeli.
Reverend Pati Crichton of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa at Aleisa West acknowledged the donation and thanked BSP for the Christmas gift.
“This water tank will help us store more water for use by the families in our village, as the old cement water tank is no longer safe for use;
“We are grateful to BSP for this gift.’
Pastor Tavita Papu of the Seventh Day Adventist Laveai Church expressed his gratitude to BSP on behalf of his congregation for selecting their small community as recipients.
“We have been relying on our neighbour’s water tank for water, but with our own, it has lessened the burden of having to carry buckets of water from their place.”
Samoa Superior Poly Products assisted BSP Samoa through technical expertise and the provision of materials required for installation.
The two church communities also contributed by building the bases for the water tanks.
Pati Crichton of the Congregation Christian Church of Samoa at Aleisa West and William Kapeli.
For 2019, BSP had prioritised the need to revisit previous projects for sustainability, and assess any required maintenance or additional water tanks needed.
These are just some of the many community projects BSP has supported to give back to the people of Samoa.
Other initiatives of 2019 included an extention to the roof for the Campus of Hope dining area at the Samoa Victim Support Group’s headquarters in Tuanaimato where over 200 children are housed, many of them awaiting Court hearings for incidents of abuse.
Lotofaga village had also received two 5,000-litre water tanks donated by the BSP Retail Department last year.
Other departments of the bank had initiated projects as part of BSP’s Community Value which included cleaning up of Mapuifagalele and donating to the Carmelite Sisters.
Pastor Tavita Papu and members of the SDA Laveai Church at Saleimoa Uta.
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