Rotary - IDDI - DF Water Project

Clean Water & Efficient Sanitation ---------> Improved Lives

The Paraiso Water System will serve 170 families with potable water. Approximately 90 families will receive water points to their houses and another 80 who live scattered in the surrounding areas will share 4 water points. A survey of the land and the families was conducted by IDDI, and the design for the water system, including a pipe from the nearby river to a holding tank for filtration and treatment of the water, then pipes into the settlement and to the surrounding areas was created by the Dominican Republic potable water and sewerage agency INAPA.

This project is Phase I of a 2-phase project. Phase II includes sewerage and shared bath+toilet houses for the same population.

The budget for this project is $161,871 USD. Rotary International has promised $43,611 in addition Rotary District 7770 (SE United States) has pledged $18,000 and District 7620 (MD-VA-DC area) has pledged $5,000. The remainder of the funds is coming from the generous support of various Rotary Clubs in South Carolina, Maryland, and Missouri and from supporting organizations such as IDDI (Instituto Dominicano de Desarollo Integral) and DF (Dominican Foundation).

Rotary Clubs, Districts, and Rotary International play such a major role in this project in part because one of Rotary's 7 Areas of Focus is clean water and sanitation. One can find Rotary-funded water projects around the world each year.

Although Rotary has taken much of the weight of this project's financial aspect, this project may not have its momentum without the passion of SENI's founder Dr. Sarah Korth. Sarah and SENI (Sustainable Empowerment Network, Inc) have been involved with the communities surrounding Paraiso since 2009, learning the communities' needs through surveys and meetings with community leaders. SENI believes that change needs to be made by the people they impact; therefore programs and projects require community buy-in, participation in implementation, and commitment to maintenance. Prior to the pandemic, SENI visited the villages surrounding Paraiso, including Villa Nizao twice per year. A program to train community leaders in basic health care is on pause. Once these leaders have certifications as trained by IDDI educators, they will be able to hold basic clinics for their communities each month to monitor health statistics and make doctor referrals.

These communities in the southwestern Dominican Republic are primarily inhabited with farm workers, most from Haiti or direct descendants of Haitian immigrants. Many of these people do not have civil rights, as they were not granted birth certificates nor have Dominican citizenship. They have little if any access to healthcare, minimal education, and their primary sources of water are generally contaminated.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Adopt a family and provide them clean water—provide them LIFE:

For every dollar you donate, the Dominican Foundation will match it up to $6,000 total. This means your gift will be doubled, making a tremendous impact on the lives of those in the Villa Nizao area. Funds will be used to help implement an infrastructure for clean water delivery and a sanitation system. . . thus lowering the risk of life threatening illness like diarrhea, which is a leading cause of death among young children in the Dominican Republic.