Clean Water Project in Senegal
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Because Rotary International's theme for March is "Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene," we're highlighting the work of a District Rotarian to bring clean water to Senegal. West Chester Rotary's Dwight Leeper and his old friend Sam Lowry, from Alabama, are seeing their Rotary Global Grant through to completion.
Under this Rotary International Project, five high-tech deep-water hand pumps, called LifePumpsTM, will be installed in communities in the Ninefecha Region of Kedougou Senegal, as selected by the Senegalese Office of Rural Boreholes (L’OFOR).
These communities are home to the Bassari people, who currently have to walk long distances to obtain drinking water from sources that are unsanitary and often inadequate. The purpose of the project is to provide those communities with a clean and reliable source of water, while at the same time demonstrating the significant advantage of the LifePumpsTM over the hand pumps currently in use in Africa.
Developed by the non-profit organization Design Outreach, LifePumpsTM are advanced hand-pumps, capable of drawing water from as deep as 150 meters. Lowry, an engineer, says that it is over three times deeper than other hand pumps currently in use in Africa. More reliable and easier to operate than those pumps, and with a projected lifespan of 30 years, the LifePumps will provide long-term, abundant clean water for people who would not otherwise have an adequate supply of safe drinking water.
The West Chester Rotary Club serves as the International Sponsor of this project. Club member Dwight Leeper, working with Lowry from the Greater Huntsville Club, submitted the original Global Grant proposal and serves as the Project Manager.
Lowry says the addition of LifePumps will help improve the safety of those who go to retrieve water. He says there are threats from wildlife and humans who prey on young girls.
According to Leeper, Rotary grant projects become diplomatic missions at the same time as they're addressing humanitarian needs. "The more people we know around the world, the better off we'll all be."
The project still needs funding, however. Lowry explains that drilling costs are more than were originally estimated (when information was hard to obtain.) He and Leeper are hoping to raise an additional $40,000 from individuals and other organizations.
You can learn more about “Deep-water pumps for Senegal” by visiting the project's Facebook page.