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Bainbridge Rotary wins grant
to save Ugandan lives |
| Rotary International has awarded the Bainbridge Island Rotary Club $289,000 to further the Club’s efforts to build water wells in rural Uganda. Every 15 seconds, someone in the world loses his or her life either because of a lack of water or because the available water is contaminated. The Gates Foundation estimates that every year 1.5 million children under the age of 5 die from water related diseases. In rural areas of Uganda, adults and children may have to walk several miles to collect water from the closest lake. Water collected near shore is often contaminated. Villagers collecting water further from shore risk being killed or maimed by crocodiles. In recent months, five women have met such fate.
The Bainbridge Island Rotary Club has been funding and monitoring the construction of water wells in Uganda for the past seven years. The Club has become a recognized leader in this endeavor as it forged relationships with a Ugandan driller and village councils that maintain the wells. One well costs approximately $6,000 and often serves up to 300 families. Contributions from other Rotary Clubs, churches and private donors have led to the construction of 44 wells thus far. This grant will enable the Bainbridge Island Rotary Club to build approximately 40 additional wells in the 100 or so additional villages they have identified as lacking clean water. |
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