This is Nava, first name Salatiel, and he is kindly pointing out where to mark a point for a new tap stand to deliver water. Nava has been working in water supply for more than 30 years in the area of Torba, so fair to say, he knows where to put a tap. The other fullas are residents of a small village in the middle of Santo, called Kororo. The village kindly invited us to stay with them one night as we did a small survey for a new water supply and consultation with the community.

The villagers of Kororo are sticking to Kustom ways in sporting the Nambas, which are the thin pieces of fabric containing the nether regions. We were treated to a big kai including pork crackling, that had been cooked inside a length of bamboo in an earth oven. Very tasty, but pretty fatty, and I could only stomach so much being someone who doesn’t eat a lot of meat. In the evening we shared a few tall glasses of kava and had a good chat with the chief over some bush tobacco. 

It was great to get out “in the field” and get a small taste of the village life. It’s crucial that these communities get good service to water so that they can maintain the custom way of life and resist the pressure of urban drift. Something that the Vanuatu government is also very interested in doing, especially with Luganville infrastructure being very stretched as it is. Hopefully we can get a good outcome and source for these people, as they say “wota blo sors blo laef”.