Water Project
[Updated 2010-03-23 per Susan Bodenner]
Dear Alliance Grant Partners,
1. After the last email update, it has been asked to
explain the organization Entrena. If you go to this link:
you will be well informed of this organization in the Dominican
Republic
functioning as a training and education organization. The Rotary
District
4060 and USAID staff agreed to use Entrena to provide training on the
installation of the HydrAid Filters. The training mentioned in the
previous email involved 4060 Rotarians that are well acquainted with the
filter
and the inventor David Manz PhD.
2. When will the grant work begin? The funding will begin
flowing to the accounts in a few days. The order for the first shipment
of
filters will be placed and when they arrive in the Dominican Republic
the grant
work will be ready to begin.
3. The spreadsheet detail doesnt add up to $2 million USD, why?
The spreadsheet is a tool for me to keep track of all the funds
committed
and received toward the needed $500,000. You can see the balance of
funds
that we are still seeking. If you know of a club or district that would
find the
3x match of this grant attractive, please encourage them to contact me.
The TRF has given the grant additional time find the balance because
all
$500,000 is not needed immediately. I will depend on you to review the
spreadsheet and make sure the detail is correct for your contribution
(club or
district) and appreciate those that have given me a couple of
corrections.
If you have further questions, please ask...if you have different
questions, ask those too.
Yours in Rotary Service
Susan Bodenner
Rockford MI Rotary Club/District 6290
Susan Bodenner, MSW, Administrator
Bishop Hills
Elder Care
Community
Perfect Surveys 2007-9
4951 11 Mile Road
Rockford MI
49341-0855
616.866.2002 Direct Line
616.619.5901 Direct FAX
Find
Friends, Fund Filters, Keep it Flowing
Donate at www.thirstingtoserve.org
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[Updated 2010-03-23 per Martha Hildreth]
The final approval for the grant came from both
R I and USAID in January.
The first week in March, Dr. Dave Manz, the
holder of the patent for
the Biosand Filters was in the Dominican Republic to help identify a
local sand
mine that would produce a consistent and optimal grade of sand
for the HydrAid filters (the
name given to the plastic version of the Biosand filters)
At the same time Entrena, a training and
education organization that
has a long history of
excellent work was approved by R I and USAID to train the installers of
the
HydrAid filters. They are a Dominican firm located in Santo Domingo.
A warehouse has been located in Santiago to
house the filters between
shipment and installation. Santiago is a
major city fairly close to the center of the country so it is
an optimal location to reach most rural areas efficiently.
The logo to be stamped into the HydrAid filters
has been approved and
sent to the manufacturer and by now production should be underway.
All the pieces are coming together and the
project should be in full
swing by early summer.
Not all the funds have not been raised so
anyone having available funds
this year may want to consider being a part of this historic endeavor.
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SPECIAL NOTES:
- Over 1 billion people around the world do not have potable water. As a result, they live with constant intestinal, skin and othe infections. Every day, 6,000 children die from drinking bad water. The DTC Rotary Club, along with Rotary International, has decided to do something about this problem
- On March 7th 2006 DTC Rotary was awarded a Matching Grant of $25,000.00 for the purchase of 410 Biosand Filters for 410 families in the Monte Plata province, Dominican Republic. The money includes transporting the filters (after they are manufactured locally) and for necessary training expenses, both in the production and use of the filters.
- On March 13th, 2006 we recieved a second $25,000.00 matching grant which will provide Biosand filters for another 410 families!
- These filters will provide clean water to over 6,000 people who will no longer have to live with disabling illnesses caused by contaminated water. Over the lives of these filters, they are expected to save the lives of 650 children.
- The DTC Rotary continues to raise money for new water projects.
Depending on the size of the project, a club can fund the entire project, or partner with another club or organization. A project can be funded entirely at the local level or leverage its funds through matching grants at the District or International levels.
Click on the following links to learn more about our water project and others around the world.
Bio-sand Testimonial Written by Peter Hughes. A must read for anyone wanting to know more about bio-sand water filters and their real life applications. PDF Version
Trip to Dominican Article Written by Liz Martin
District 5450 Water Task Force Site
History of Biosand Filters Practical Use in D.R.Written by Jan Tollefson May 13, 2004
CONNECTING THE DOTS Developing a Model for Sustainable Clean Water Projects. By Margaret Peterson Comfort
Dominican Water Project Now Under Scientific StudyArcticle form Rotary International News by Matthew C. Brown
DTC March 2005 Trip to Dominican Republic A plea to other Rotarian Clubs and an explanation of bio sand filters
The Bigger Problem & SolutionThe UNC School of Public Health - Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering Letter Dated 3/22/05
CAWST Training LinkThis is a link to the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology. They also have a page explaining the bio-filter
Clean Water for Haiti
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A very special highlight this past year was a trip to the Dominican Republic in March with some friends from the Denver Technological Center Rotary Club. We visited the projects our club has supported over the years. These include a vocational school for the deaf, another school in one of the worst slums of Puerto Plata and a visit to a house using biosand water filters that provide clean water to up to half of a dozen families. These water filters cost as little as $50 to make, have no moving parts and require little maintenance. Only a few months after our trip, Rotary clubs gave many more of these filters to the Dominican Republic following the dreadful flooding that brought so much misery to the DR and Haiti. However, the highlight of the trip was surely a visit to the clinic Grupo Clara, a safe haven for AIDS mothers of young children. DTC Rotary makes donations to this clinic to purchase milk formula; for you will understand the mothers cannot possibly nurse their children. We met 18 mothers and their children. Seventeen children were HIV negative as a result of the formula. What a wonderfully satisfying and inspirational visit that was.
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