Access to safe and clean water revitalizes a community
31 Mar
By Narayan Murarka, Suzanne Gibson, Mark Gibson, Mary Holcomb (Members of the Rotary Club of Barrington Breakfast), Jorge Aufranc (Rotary International Director), and Francisco Viau (Member of the Rotary Club of Guatemala Sur)
The Barrington Breakfast Rotary Club from Illinois, United States, has been working with the Guatemala Sur Rotary Club in Guatemala City, Guatemala, for more than six years. We have concentrated on the needs of people in the region of Sumpango, in the Sacatepequez Department, by carrying out several major initiatives which have expanded in both breadth and depth over time.
One of these initiatives focuses on preventing diseases in children through access to clean drinking water and improved hygiene practices within the community.
As part of their five-year plan for community service, the Guatemala Sur Rotary Club identified water and sanitation as a priority for nine elementary and seven secondary schools in Sumpango. For over a year, we…
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Providing safe water to thousands in Uganda
28 MarBy Peter Kasango, TRF Cadre of Technical Adviser and member of the Rotary Club of Bweyogerere-Namboole
To develop a response to persistent water flooding in Butalejja District, Uganda, caused by overflowing of the Manafa River, my Rotary Club of Bweyogerere Namboole partnered with the Rotary Club of Bellingham in Washington, USA, on a global grant project.
This flooding would destroy gardens, which affected food production and cash crops. Already problematic sanitation was worsened as toilet facilities were often overflowing due to the flooding, which in turn forced the river’s highly contaminated water into the only open water sources for the village and its surrounding communities. This flooding was dramatically affecting the health of people in the village and nearby communities by spreading a number of diseases, such as Cholera and diarrhea.
The flooding created other problems as well: trees were destroyed, resulting in further erosion and worsened flooding, and serious…
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Creating jobs and promoting a cleaner environment in Brazil
28 MarBy Susan Doxtator, Regional Grants Officer at Rotary and Bonaventure Fandohan, Rotary’s Economic and Community Development Area of Focus Manager
Over the past 25 years, the number of workers living in extreme poverty has declined dramatically despite the lasting impact of the 2008 economic crisis and global recession. In developing countries, the middle class now makes up more than 34 percent of total employment – a number that almost tripled between 1991 and 2015. Yet as the global economy continues to recover, we are seeing slower growth, widening inequalities, and not enough jobs to keep up with a growing labor force. [i]
For some low-income people in urban areas of developing and emerging countries, informal waste recycling is a common way to earn income. When organized and supported, waste picking can spur grassroots investment into poor communities by creating jobs and reducing poverty, all while saving money for municipalities, improving…
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