It’s a gift from God, we are happy to share it: Villagers.

The healing water of Dawasamu was known to Yavusa (Tribe) Voni before it caught national attention.

The Yavusa Voni of Delakado Village had thought that the healing power would only work for its members, spokesperson Menausi Druguvale said.

He said it was not a big deal because it was passed from their forefathers.

Before Cyclone Winston, the Chinese quarry company, Gold Rock Investment quarry, was constructing a dam to source water for the company and Delakado Village. The original water source is from water springs in Nakoroni, their ancient ancestral site.

“As we grew up we were told about these springs by our fathers and grandfathers,” said Mr Druguvale.

He said they had been using the water for drinking especially after a long day of farming and they knew that the water was always ‘mana’.

The Okanasei creek in Natadradave flows from the same dam.

Mr Druguvale said: “After Cyclone Winston, the Delakado villagers contracted conjunctivitis (Cika). They went to the dam to drink and wash their face. That was when non-Yavusa members discovered the water’s healing power.

“At about the same time, a blind woman from Natadradave Village went to bathe in the Okanasei creek. Her sight was restored. A young boy who was sick was also healed.

“That’s when the news spread and people started flocking to Natadradave for the past seven months,” he said.

About 17 young men from Natadradave, Delakado, Driti, and Vorovoro of Dawasamu district, in Tailevu have been assisting members of the public who visit the Okanasei creek where the healing water site is located.

They work in shifts (day and night) from Monday to Monday helping people voluntarily.

“We have been stationed here for the past seven months and it has become a daily routine for us,” said Delakado villager, Kalisivani Naiolo.

Mr Naiolo said the healing water site had brought fame for his village and he was proud that people had been healed.

“The number of people who arrive here every day cannot be explained, it’s not only Fiji but people from New Zealand, Australia, America and Canada that have come to witness this healing water,” said Mr Naiolo.

They assist people with filling their bottles, containers. They also take the sick to the creek to bath.

All they ask people to do is: “Please, don’t litter.”

They also ask people to take their rubbish back or put them in the bins provided. They also request visitors to dress appropriately.

For the villagers in Dawasamu, the trips to the health centres and the hospitals have been reduced significantly.

“The villagers just drink the healing water or bathe in it and they are healed,” says Mr Druguvale.

“We know it is a gift from God and we are happy to share it with others free of charge.”

Edited by Naisa Koroi

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