WATER MANAGEMENT
Rift Valley Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Program
The Rift Valley Water and Sanitation Project was started in 2002 by the late John Mbugua of the Rotary Club of Nakuru along with the support of the Rotary Club of Summerland B.C. To date, over 3000 rainwater harvested water tanks have been built bringing a lifetime supply of clean water to about 28,000 people; the project is being managed by the Rotary Club of Nakuru.
Alleviating poverty for the rural poor of Africa is the primary goal of our program. The rural poor, primarily women and children, are often forgotten with minimal, if any, services provided by local or state governments.
By helping solve one of their primary concerns – water – we provide the opportunity and hope to work their way out of poverty. The time and effort devoted to obtaining adequate water from polluted streams and ponds are a major burden for rural women - significantly reducing the time and energy available for child rearing, education, farming etc.
A direct result of the availability of relatively clean water is a reduction of waterborne diseases and improved hygiene. A durable 10 cu. M. concrete tank which is constructed by the women and which stores roof runoff from each family home is the key element in achieving this goal.
Successes
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Lucy's Story:
Lucy Wothaya Thuo had to walk 10 km a day to the Baruku River to fetch water for drinking, cooking, and washing. Her back ached; there was no time to do other work. The water was dirty and left the family with skin disease, typhoid and diarrhoea. Enter the Rotary Club of Nakuru. Lucy received support to build a rainwater-harvesting tank. With time and a micro credit loan, she was able to purchase three goats. She bred the goats and by selling the offspring, she has been able to realize a profit that enabled her to repay her loan within one year. She is now doing well; she is debt free and as the younger goats mature, she sells the older ones to keep her stock fresh.
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Partners:
Local Rotary Commitment
Rotarians in the area often are combined of successful people who have a good understanding of the local economic and political situation. Members own businesses that can directly assist a project - generally at cost or less. Rotary International also has a well structured and disciplined approach to project management that ensures accountability.
Local Project Management
The Rift Valley Program has developed a group of managers who organize the community groups that apply for tanks and ensures procedures are in place and are followed. This is critical in the process since the design of the tanks, the requirements for tree planting, sanitation procedures are maintained by this group. A database of all the tanks and their status is maintained to ensure commitments are kept.
3. Local Community Organizations
Groups of applicants for tanks are organized into manageable groups called RCC’s (Rotary Community Corps). These groups are made up mostly of women (at least 90%) who hold almost all the leadership positions. They are given responsibility of managing the process of putting the tanks and programs in place. They are given guidelines and encouragement from the project management team but ultimately it is their responsibility to manage the process. Since they are required to pay a portion of the tank (about $75) they often pool their resources to make this possible. The tanks are owned by the group until the agreed number of tanks for the group are completed.
News and Special Thanks:
We received our Global Grant! The following clubs in District 7070 made it happen with their contributions of $38,770: Belleville, Cobourg, Etobicoke, Markham Sunrise, Markham Unionville, Oshawa Parkwood, Pickering, Port Perry, Toronto, Toronto East, Forest Hill, and Uxbridge.
The Rotary Club of Forest Hill hosted an evening fundraiser “Food for Water” to raise money for the project. The Rotaract Club of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology set us a display in the university cafeteria and urged students to donate their change. In addition to managing the project, our host club, The Rotary Club of Nakuru, and District 9200 made a substantial financial contribution.
We send our sincere thanks to the Rotary Clubs in District 7810: Fredericton North, Dalhousie, Presque Isle, and Leslie Van Patter who have contributed funds to the project in the memory of Rotarian Mike Street. These funds will be matched by CRCID funds and clubs will receive Paul Harris Credits.
We appreciate the generosity of Rotarian Dennis Gray the President of Backyard Brands whose sales staff have made a contribution to the project through Wasrag.
Four Rotary Clubs in District 1040 (England) have contributed to the project. Thank you to the Rotary Clubs of Skipton, Ottley, Bridlington, and Wakefield District 1040. District Governor John Walker has agreed to match club contributions with District Designated Funds.
| How can my Rotary Club become involved with the Rift Valley Program? |
Individually people can donate $365 for one tank (which will likely be matched by Rotary District or Foundation matching grants which is then matched by CRCID). We can have the name of the donor engraved on the Tank (with the Rotary Symbol) and a digital picture of the tank and recipient family.
Rotary Clubs can support the program with donations directly to the Toronto Eglinton Rotary Club or a club can sponsor one of the 22 Rotary Community Corps (RCC’s) in the program. Matching grants again apply.
If a Rotary member is in Africa and would like to tour the project we can make those arrangements. |
