Water for Sudan and Rotary
Our Rotary Club has just “partnered” with Water for Sudan and Salva Dut (one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan”) to provide much needed water to Southern Sudan.
Why?
Because every day hundreds of thousands of people in Southern Sudan drink water contaminated with deadly parasites and bacteria that cause cholera and other often-fatal diseases. They spend hours walking miles in temperatures that can reach over 120F just to get water.
Water for Sudan is providing long-term solutions like education and drilling water wells. In fact, as of May 2009, it has successfully drilled 43 wells bringing clean, fresh water to tens of thousands of people.
It’s goals include:
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger- a safe well improves the basic health of a village. Improved health means people have increased capacity to farm and tend livestock.
2. Reduce child mortality- Sudan has one of the highest infant and child mortality rates in the world. major contributors to those statistics are water-borne diseases, such as cholera and diarrhea.
3. Achieve universal primary education- Year-round access to safe, clean water means healthier children, especially girls, can consistently attend school.
4. Improve maternal health- Clean water means women experience healthier pregnancies through improved personal hygiene, more sanitary delivery spaces, and safe drinking water.
5. Combat malaria and water-borne diseases- Clean water reduces people’s vulnerability to infection causing parasites such as guinea worm and schistosomes and eliminates bacteria which cause often-fatal diseases such as diarrhea and cholera.
6. Promote gender equality and empower women- Water wells mean those who gather water daily, usually women and girls, no longer have to walk miles. They can consistently attend school or do other work which improves their livelihoods.
7. Establish a global partnership for development to enable community stability- With a village well, people no longer need to migrate seasonally in search of water. People become the owners and caretakers of the well which is a community utility. Local leaders are trained by Water for Sudan in basic maintenance and supplied with spare parts.
Our Rotary Club (Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary) is proud and excited to join other Rotarians around our District and world in support of Water for Sudan, Inc. If you’d like more information or would like to help, please contact us or go to http://www.waterforsudan.org