District 7640 Rotary Clubs including the Vineland Rotary Club, Atlantic City Rotary Club, Mt. Ephraim Rotary Club, and Washington Township Rotary Club, have raised funds to sponsor four (4) operational Fresh Water Wells in Nigeria, Africa. Our District 9512 partner, the Rotary Club of Nassarawa/Kano, Nigeria, has paid for one, for a total of 5 wells to date. The 5 wells cover a large Tribal area with approximately 100,000 villagers that are now benefiting from their first taste of fresh water, and the elimination of diseases in their immediate area.

Several weeks ago, $6,800 was wire-transferred to our Rotary partner in Nigeria for wells 3 and 4. One well was paid for largely by the $3,000 District grant that was awarded to the Vineland Rotary Club’s Water Well Project. The other was paid for in part by the Atlantic City Rotary Club ($2,000), and the Mt. Ephraim Rotary Club ($500), with the Vineland Rotary Club making up the difference.

The Water Well Team from Vineland has and continues to make presentations to area Rotary Clubs. Presentations were also made for the last two years at District Conference.

We are excited to announce that our District 7640 Fresh Water Well Project qualifies for a Rotary International grant totaling $49,999. District Governor CarolAnn Jeronimo, PDG Sam Conte, along with members of the Vineland water well team, have met in June to go over grant requirements and start the grant process.

This project was an idea born by Rotary Club of Vineland Past President Ted Lane, while attending PETS in preparation for his 2009/10 year as club president. “I wanted to start an International project that every club in our district could be part of. While at PETS, after meeting incoming Presidents of other smaller clubs, I realized they didn’t have the manpower to take on a project like this. But I knew because of the size of our club, and the international contacts of our Vineland Rotary members have, this was a doable project. I was right about our club. Because of the international contacts of club members Ron McMahon, and Jim Moffatt, and hard work and support of our club members, and financial support of other District 7640 clubs, it only took us
about 6-months to produce our first, of what we hope is many more wells in Africa”.

Also a special thanks to PDG Sam Conti, and DG CarolAnn Jeronimo, both who got behind this project, and gave us all the support we could have asked for, as well as the support we have received from our District and Rotary International for this project, one that fits perfectly with Rotary International’s clean water and sanitation initiatives.

For more information or to get involved with the African Fresh Water Well Project, please contact us at: info@vinelandrotary.com or contact Ron McMahon directly at: ronaldmcm65@cs.com , or call 856 -696-3117

ROTARY PATNERSHIP FOR FRESH WATER IN KANO STATE NIGERIA
By
                           VINELAND Rotary Club New Jersey USA and Rotary Club of NASSRAWA KANO Nigeria                            

In 2009-2010 ROTARY YEAR, the Rotary Club of Nassarawa Kano District 9125 Nigeria and Vineland Rotary Club, D7640 New Jersey USA agreed to form a partnership to help reduce the spread of diseases caused by lack of good portable water in some identified locations in Kano state Nigeria, through the provision of fresh water boreholes.

At the request of the Vineland Rotary Club, the Rotary Club Nassarawa conducted a need Assessment survey of the selected communities and villages across different local Government Areas in the state. The survey showed that many villages do not have access to good, safe portable water. It was then mutually agreed by the two clubs to “start from somewhere” since the available funds could not satisfy all the villages.

The partnership involves the provision of funds for fresh water bore hole by the Vineland RC while RC Nassarawa will provide local logistics including procurement, monitoring, maintenance, etc.

In March 2010, the partnership yielded fruit with the commissioning of the first fresh water bore hole at Koranchi village in Ungogo Local Government Area of the state.

The next beneficiary was in Banga in Tudun wada L.G.A., a village more than 200km from the city centre.

In February 2011, the latest fresh water projects were completed at Yankaba Quarters in Nassarawa L.G.A. and Sabon Gari in Fagge L.G.A. It should be noted here that whereas the first two locations (Koranchi and Banga) are rural villages where the bore holes are also used for irrigation farming which is their major occupation, the last two (Yankaba and Sabon Gari) are urban areas which most times depend on water retailers whose sources may not be reliable.

The result of this success story is that the beneficiaries no logger walk miles away to fetch water. More so the fresh water bore holes are now better reliable sources of water against the previous open wells, and sometimes stagnant pools. This has tremendously reduced the spread of diseases in these areas.

Each stage of the projects was an opportunity to meet and talk with the people and their leaders. We saw an avenue to market, preach and publicize ROTARY and its goals –service to humanity. The signs at each project site were good public relation tools. The people now acknowledge and appreciate ROTARY.

The projects were also used to mobilize and encourage the parents to bring out their children for immunization during the National and special immunization days.

The partnership project by Vinland RC AND RC Nassarawa has recorded a tremendous success in these past two years and should by encouraged to continue. Indeed ROTARY IS GOOD!

Special appreciation to Ted Lane 2009-2010 president of Vinland Rotary Club, Linda Foster, 2010-2011 president, the project coordinator James Moffatt and all members Vineland R.C. I also specially recognize and appreciate Dr Kazeem Mustapha, 2009-2010 governor of D 9125 and PDG Brad Howard who were instrumental in the establishment of this partnership.    

From; ETHELBERT ONUOHA
President Rotary club of Nassarawa Kano 2009-2010 

Photos from Nigeria