Greetings from the Rotary Club of Guelph Wellington..... I hope that this message finds you all well!! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Have you ever turned on your water tap and there was NO WATER .... Walked into a room to turn the lights on .... and NOTHING HAPPENED ! What did you think or do? Call the local public utility and demanded WHAT was going on and WHEN your water / hydro would be restored.
Imagine .... a Medical Centre with no water or electricity..... A Public School with no water or latrines or electricity. You have to go 5 miles to fetch water out of a creek / river, which is polluted.... Hardly considered potable .... How can people live without clean water?
That is the reality for 3000 people who live in the Kapelebyong District, in Uganda, that contains 2 rural villages. The average daily wage for the working population is $.90 US.
In January of 2025, we did a Community Assessment with the local governments, and community leaders that revealed two major problems:
First: potable water, which affects health issues and mortality Second: a need to learn a trades to become self-sufficient.
The Rotary Club of Soroti Central heard of what we, as Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Guelph Wellington, a small club of 9 members, in conjunction with the Forgotten People Connection did in Kenya. There we helped build latrines for a Trade School and drilled a well to provide potable water. Six years later the Community is much improved and many people have become self-sufficient and capable of providing a lifestyle. They have fresh water which has reduced disease, particularly Cholera and the ability to work and it has significantly reduced the premature death of infants and children. Students that attended the school have gone on to further education and come back home as teachers and business people, adding to the productivity and increasing their wages, thus improving their lifestyle.
Thanks to the generosity of local Rotary Clubs, in Districts 7080 and 7090, we have been successful in raising commitments for funding to apply for a Rotary Global Grant, in the amount of US $ 62,000, in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Soroti Central, as a Rotary Wash Project under Grant # GG2578842. With The Magic of Rotary, we raised US $23,000 and with the matching DDF and Word Fund Contributions, we were successful in raising the US $62,000 to fund this project
If all goes well, and the funding gets approved, we will start the Water Project early in 2026.