Giving the gift of safe drinking water

Access to drinkable water is a basic human requirement that we all take for granted. In less well developed countries many avoidable deaths occur due to drinking from polluted sources. These deaths are easily preventable and Rotarians work hard to lend a hand.

Peterborough Rotary Club recently sent 60 Life Straws to Matatoka, a small village near Makeni in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world and many children die from waterborne diseases before reaching their fifth birthday, their deaths caused by drinking contaminated water.

The Life Straw is a sealed, portable water purification unit that cleanses the dirty water making it clean and safe to drink. The Life Straws should last each family for up to three years and the 60 Life Straws sent will be sufficient for all the families in the village. The villagers were very excited to be receiving this gift of clean water from Rotary, saying “When Rotary comes the children stop dying.”

These 60 Life Straws cost £ 1,800. £ 1,000 of this was raised by Rotarians in the Peterborough Rotary Club from their Golf Day, the £ 800 was a matching grant from the Rotary District, of which Peterborough is a member.

Peterborough also had help from other Rotary clubs. A colleague in the Banbury club had contact with a company West- minster Air Freight. They kindly transported the Life Straws to Sierra Leone free of charge. Local Rotarians got involved taking the Life Straws down to the airport from Peterborough. Once in Sierra Leone only a nominal amount was paid for transport by ferry then by road to the village from Lungi Airport in Freetown.

Hassan who lives in the village is teaching families how to use the Life Straws, having himself been taught by another Rotarian David Wallwork of Ramsey. David took a sample with him on his last visit to Sierra Leone in November. Hassan is known to Rotarians as he helps David and other Rotarians who regularly travel to The David School in Sierra Leone.

Peterborough Rotary Club will be holding another Golf Day later in the year. If you would be interested in playing, get in touch with Maureen McKenna on 01733 222211. Why not have a great day of golf and, at the same time, help us to put something back into local and international communities.