WATER WELL PROGRAM

Our Rotary club’s water well program provides funding for the construction and operation of water wells in rural, underprivileged schools in South Africa in desperate need of water. Sanitation, hygiene and water access are some of the biggest obstacles facing rural schools in South Africa.

It is nearly impossible for many of us to conceive of the hardships children face when growing up in areas without access to clean water. Millions of children cannot go to school on a regular basis because they must fetch water every day. Without operating flush toilets, children who do attend school are forced to use unsanitary pits and are unable to wash their hands to keep from spreading disease. Dropout rates for adolescent girls skyrocket once their period starts due to no provisions for sanitation. Without nearby running water, school gardens, which provide many students with their only source of fresh fruits and vegetables, grow exclusively during the rainy season.

For our water well program, we partner with A Spring of Hope (“ASOH”), a 501(c)3 organization based in south Florida. A Spring of Hope identifies communities in need of water wells, locates promising well sites, and coordinates the construction of each well. To date ASOH has over 40 partner schools in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa.

It should be understood that ASOH does more than simply dig and operate wells for the schools that it supports. The organization also constructs operating flush toilets for the schools that it serves, and in many cases assists community and school leaders to develop school gardens, which not only provide students with fresh fruits and vegetables but often provide a source of funds for the school when they are able to sell surplus crops. 

To learn more about the life-saving work that A Spring of Hope does in the communities that it serves, please visit their website at:

www.aspringofhope.org

We also invite you to view the following video for a brief overview of the organization:

Introduction to A Spring of Hope from A Spring of Hope on Vimeo.

Our Rotary club thanks you for your support of our water well initiative with A Spring of Hope.  If you would like to make a donation to support this program, please click on the link below.  If you would like additional information, please also feel free to contact Les Campbell, our club’s Water Projects committee chair, by email at lcampbell@hjsims.com, or by phone at 800-593-9172. 

On behalf of the children whose lives who literally will be saved through your support, we again thank you for your support!