Rotary clubs have water projects on tap
Posted by Anthony Gilmore
on Mar 25, 2011
Villages in four regions of Ghana are being equipped with ventilated pit latrines, showers, and boreholes featuring hand pumps and mechanized pipes through the efforts of dozens of Rotary clubs in Latin America, North America, and Ghana.
The effort is part of the International H2O Collaboration, an alliance between Rotary International and USAID. Launched in 2009, it works to implement long-term, sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene projects in the developing world. The first phase of the partnership has focused on three countries: Ghana, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic.
"With this collaboration, Rotary is taking the commitment to clean water and sanitation to the next level," says RI Vice President Thomas M. Thorfinnson, a member of the RI/USAID Steering Committee. "We're not just focused on simply providing safe drinking water and walking away. We are looking at our ability to partner to make a larger impact in a bigger part of the world through sustainable projects and clean sanitation practices."
Billions of people lack access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation. To draw attention to the need for action, the United Nations has designated 22 March as World Water Day. Each year since 1993, it has selected a different theme. This year focuses on the impact of rapid urban growth and the challenges of urban water management. Learn more about World Water Day events.
The International H2O Collaboration is an example of Rotary's dedication to water and sanitation issues, an area of focus under The Rotary Foundation's Future Vision Plan.
In Ghana, Rotarians are working with committees in about 100 communities to change sanitation behaviors and provide training on maintaining the new equipment. The committees are responsible for establishing fees for water use and using the money collected to operate and maintain the pumps.
Rotarians in the Philippines have been working with the country's Solid Waste Management Association to keep garbage out of a wastewater treatment plant that serves one of Manila's large public markets. They have made several site visits and assisted in training and surveying market vendors. As a result, the vendors have developed a plan to compost up to 60 percent of biodegradable waste and use it to fertilize newly planted trees.
Thorfinnson says that almost all Rotary funds in the Dominican Republic are going toward bio-sand filters, while USAID funds are helping to improve and construct water supply and sanitation systems and provide hygiene education.
"With this collaboration, Rotary is taking the commitment to clean water and sanitation to the next level," says RI Vice President Thomas M. Thorfinnson, a member of the RI/USAID Steering Committee. "We're not just focused on simply providing safe drinking water and walking away. We are looking at our ability to partner to make a larger impact in a bigger part of the world through sustainable projects and clean sanitation practices."
Billions of people lack access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation. To draw attention to the need for action, the United Nations has designated 22 March as World Water Day. Each year since 1993, it has selected a different theme. This year focuses on the impact of rapid urban growth and the challenges of urban water management. Learn more about World Water Day events.
The International H2O Collaboration is an example of Rotary's dedication to water and sanitation issues, an area of focus under The Rotary Foundation's Future Vision Plan.
In Ghana, Rotarians are working with committees in about 100 communities to change sanitation behaviors and provide training on maintaining the new equipment. The committees are responsible for establishing fees for water use and using the money collected to operate and maintain the pumps.
Rotarians in the Philippines have been working with the country's Solid Waste Management Association to keep garbage out of a wastewater treatment plant that serves one of Manila's large public markets. They have made several site visits and assisted in training and surveying market vendors. As a result, the vendors have developed a plan to compost up to 60 percent of biodegradable waste and use it to fertilize newly planted trees.
Thorfinnson says that almost all Rotary funds in the Dominican Republic are going toward bio-sand filters, while USAID funds are helping to improve and construct water supply and sanitation systems and provide hygiene education.