2013/14 has seen RC Toowoomba Garden City undertake a clean water project in Peru. We were fortunate enough to be offered 500 water filters at half price from a US company called SAWYER who has worked closely with Rotary on many occasions. However, the time limit to take advantage of this price saw us “put the cart before the horse” and the project has been developing “as we go”.
Sawyer water filters are known for their effectiveness, simplicity, ease of use and maintenance, longevity and the capacity to deliver small or large quantities of water. A water filter can simply be placed in a household bucket or much larger receptacle and is fed through by gravity. With a small amount of training it is easy to use and be maintained.
Most of the filters in the initial part of the project will be supplied to schools, community centres and homes in the Tambo Grande, Sechura and Telara regions. In the Tambo Grande region we have been asked to supply filters to 60 schools covering 6000 students.The Sawyer water filter can produce up to 1000 litres of drinking water per day – over 300 people. The filters have a life expectancy of 15 years. Based on our cost to supply and deliver the filters to Peru @$30/filter:-
THE FILTER COST IS 50c/STUDENT FOR 15 YEARS OR 3.3c/STUDENT/YEAR.
Another important aspect of the project is the education component, where PRISMA will provide training programs to Government/Education officials, community officials, teachers, students and parents to appreciate purified water, hygiene training for washing hands and cooking etc.
It is a very comprehensive project!
On a club level the project has been driven by one of our members, Dave Rutter (Helping Hands for Peru) who has worked tirelessly to achieve so much. Dave has formed a strong alliance with a major local partner, PRISMA (see information below) who have been instrumental in organizing distribution, education in use of, monitoring progress and evaluating the project. PRISMA is in the process of sourcing funding and provide resources to undertake these tasks. We were fortunate to have a PRISMA Board Member (Luz Maria) visit our club early this year to give a detailed outline on the work PRISMA has achieved over its 28 years of project community work in Peru.
Other partners in the project to date have been, Rotary Club of Toowoomba South and Toowoomba East, Sunrise Rotary Club of San Isidro (Peru) Helping Hands for Peru (Not for Profit Organisation, Australia), PRISMA (see note below), Peru Government and Education Officals including Dept of Housing, Mayors, Dept of Education, and local Community Leaders . We welcome involvement from more clubs and individuals.
One of the most exciting things is, now we are establishing strategic partners, procedures and networks we will have the tools to “do it all again”. Watch this space for more information and for ways you can assist and become involved.
PRISMA
PRISMA is Peruvian NGO that is dedicated to strengthening the resources of the poor and other vulnerable groups so that they themselves can achieve economic and social development. PRISMA has programs throughout Peru addressing many different aspects of development, including health and nutrition, agriculture, the environment, and local government. PRISMA has been running for 28 years, and has 14 regional offices and over 30 local offices and agencies. PRISMA’s projects, training programs and consulting services are based on empirical research and verification that a particular strategy or methodology generates the desired impact. Prisma has a strong list of funding partners and a strong network of institutions with whom we collaborate thanks to the good results achieved through the years. “Our performance is our best presentation”.
