[D9640general] [eFlash_Rotary] Digest Number 784

[Garry Krischock]

 Message 
  1. 1487: Water projects 
Wed Mar 26, 2008 2:45 am (PDT) 
What should all Rotary clubs know about clean water projects?
By Joseph Derr 

Carolyn Crowley Meub, executive committee member for the Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group, past governor of District 7870 (Vermont and New Hampshire, USA), and executive director for Pure Water for the World, responds:

First, know the importance of this work. The basis of good health is 
access to clean, safe drinking water. Experts say that unsanitary 
water is responsible for about 80 percent of all diseases in 
developing countries. For most of the world, clean water is medicine.

Rotary clubs of all sizes can get involved in a water project, but 
developing a project takes planning, and these projects can be 
expensive. Most clubs aren't equipped to run a project on their own 
and often don't know how to get started. By uniting several clubs 
together and/or partnering with a reputable organization, a single 
Rotary club can make a bigger impact. Pick your partners well.

When getting involved, look for projects that are sustainable. Poorly 
planned and built shallow wells won't work two years after 
construction.

The most important thing to remember is that the project doesn't 
belong to the Rotary club or district - it belongs to the people it 
serves. Water projects must begin and end with the local community. 
To ensure that the project provides the intended benefits long after 
the donor has left, make sure the local community has ownership from 
the beginning. As Rotarians dedicated to the communities we serve, we 
wouldn't want to do it any other way. 

Source: Rotary International News 
Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

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