Rotary Happenings: Rotarians learn about HANWASH from district chairman
Every morning, we wake up, brush our teeth, jump in the shower, flush the toilet and have a cup of coffee and we think nothing of it. It’s something we have always done. Now imagine having to start your day with no running water. You need to walk 30 minutes to the local water station to get your water, and then carry it back another 30 minutes to your house to use.
Many people on Haiti do just that every day. Only 30 percent of people have portable water within a 30-minute walk of their home. In the rural villages, where most Haitians reside, only 24 percent have access to toilets; 2 million people practice open air defecation, resulting in water borne illnesses like typhoid, cholera and dehydration through chronic diarrhea, which accounts for 50 percent of Haitian deaths. HANWASH — Haiti National Clean Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Strategy — District Chairman Don Thomas recently shared these sobering statistics with the Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club to show the importance of clean water.
Charitable solutions have failed in the past, creating a need for sustainable solutions in Haiti. Rotary has become involved with HANWASH, a multi-decade program, estimated $2.3 billion with a goal of providing clean portable water and satisfactory sanitation to the entire nation. It was established in 2018 and the initiative is led by Rotary District 7020 and the Haitian Directorate of Potable Water and Sanitation, along with other non-governmental organization partners such as Haiti Outreach and Pure Water for the World, which specializes in providing water and sanitation solutions. It digs wells, creates city water systems and builds micro-flush toilets. HANWASH will serve as the blueprint to help other countries who also have clean water needs.
HANWASH is helping to create a social and financial buy-in from the citizens of Haiti, helping to create a culture of sustainability, transparency and accountability. Citizens now pay for their water that they receive, a very new and different concept to them. There is an 80 percent successful collection rate, exhibiting a massive culture shift on the perspective of paying for clean water. With continued support from the Haitians themselves, HANWASH has a very bright future to help all Haitians receive clean water.
Thomas is a charter member of the Rotary Club of Cape Coral Goldcoast, was the charter secretary and is a club past president. He is an alumni of the Rotary Foundation, district governor 2010-11. Thomas was assistant governor from 2002-03 and 2003-04, and he was a delegate to the Council on Legislation in 2016. Thomas is a charter member of the Rotary Leadership Institute’s Sunshine Division Discussion Leader and he was director of training development from 2012-16. He was honored with the district’s Service Above Self Award and was twice named Rotarian of the Year by his club. Thomas is past president of Gift of Life of Florida.
For more information, visit https://www.hanwash.org/.
The Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club holds a meeting on Fridays at 7:30 a.m. at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, and via Zoom; doors open at 7 a.m. To attend in person, email Bill Harkey at William.Harkey@gmail.com by the Tuesday before the meeting. For more information, visit sanibelrotary.org or www.facebook.com/sancaprotary.