Ecuador Bathroom Project

Here is some information on a project that our club helped on a couple of years ago and are happy to be helping with again this year. 

International Project in Ecuador                                November 31, 2012

            This is general information for clubs which have made a commitment or have shown interest in the Ecuador School Bathrooms project. 

                  Last year our Murray Rotary Club along with about 11 other clubs took on a major project in Equador and Columbia to provide restrooms for 48 village schools that had extremely poor restrooms or no real restroom  This all started when global grants were  introduced  to do large projects  but were limited to pilot districts.  100 districts were chosen  from all over the world.   To qualify, a pilot district here had to work with a pilot district in the project area and had to raise the first $10,000 toward the project.  Then matching grants from the district and Rotary International  would be added when the application was approved. Thus, typically this would increase the total to over $50,000.  Then if  corporate sponsors were found to match the Rotary fund,  the total amount could  go over $100,000. Each restroom building with fixtures along with clean water,  education, drain field, etc. costs about $4,500.

                  None of the pilot districts were located in Mexico but districts in Equador and Columbia were.  The districts in those countries had been providing restrooms for some village schools but at a very slow pace.  So the idea was raised that if their districts and our district got together  using a global grant that many restrooms could be provided each year.  Jerry Summerhays and Fred Berthrong visited districts in those 2 countries in late 2009 to investigate the starting of a global grant.   So 3 global grants were applied for;  one for Columbia with the Sugarhouse Club ; one for Equador with the Logan Club;  and one for  educational requirements for both  countries with the Murray Club.   That project has been ongoing since last year and is nearly completed.  Jerry and Cherie Summerhays  visited  both countries in mid November  to see how the project is finishing.  The leaders from the districts there have been overseeing the project and doing a great job.  29 village schools in Equador now have, or shortly will have, restrooms with clean water and people who have been trained to maintain them.

  They are so pleased with the results that they have asked us to do this project again.  Since all of the educational materials are already available, that part will be included in the next 2 global grants.  The Sugarhouse Club will oversee Columbia and the Murray Club will oversee Equador  while the Logan Club is moving back to a project in Peru.

So to start the new project, we need to raise $10,000 by July 1, 2013 but must have commitments soon as several months are needed to apply for and have a global grant approved.  Our club will commit to $3,000.   We are asking any club that does not have an international project to join with us by helping to raise the $7,000 balance.  This project then becomes their project and their members would be welcome to visit Equador  next  fall when the work gets started.  Another visit is likely in 2014.  Our district has already set aside $11,000 for this project.

Money for this project can be taken from this year’s budget or next year’s budget but the commitment  to be part of this project needs to be soon so that we have time to get the global grant and interest corporate sponsors in helping.  Thanks for your commitment or interest.