𝗥𝗙𝗠𝗙 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) Engineers Regiment has been deployed to Tavua Village in Koro Island to lead the reconstruction of a church that was severely damaged by Cyclone Winston.

The project is being constructed by 5 members from the 1 Construction Squadron under the leadership of Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Abraham Salem.

WO2 Salem stated that when the team first arrived in November last year, only the church’s old footings remained. As a result, they had to demolish the structure and rebuild it from the ground up. However, construction was temporarily stopped as the team returned to Suva for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

“Now that we have resumed work, and with the support of the community, we have successfully completed 10% of the project. We continue to collaborate closely with local villagers to ensure the project remains on schedule,” WO2 Salem said.

Village headman Mr Nemani Buliruarua expressed his gratitude for the engineers’ efforts, emphasizing the community’s full support for the initiative. He praised the strong partnership between the villagers and the RFMF, which has been instrumental in driving progress.

The reconstruction, with an estimated budget of $190,000, has been funded by the villagers of Tavua, including those residing in urban areas and overseas. As part of the project, solar panels will be installed, and new church benches will be built upon completion.