The number of Zoom Participants for our weekly meetings are becoming quite consistent, last week 22 members plus 2 guests, our guest speakers, Sharon and Peter Crean.
Before handing the screen over to Sharon and Peter, our Co-Presidents and Directors shared club notices and of note were;
- Peter B advised that due to lockdown, the deadline for registrations for the 2022 Science Forum has been pushed out, which is good as it will give us the time we need to work with our schools to identify the right students to attend.
- Murray briefed the meeting on two upcoming Rotary Events, Salvation Army Food Bag Packing and the Polio Train - both of these events are explained in more detail further on in the Bulletin.
- Quiz Night - the club will do all possible to hold this important fundraiser as soon as possible and the current date we are aiming for is November 19th. Please put this date in your diary now and watch this space for more details as we emerge from lockdown.
Following our notices, our guest speakers were introduced, although Sharon and Peter are no strangers to our club having spoken to us at least twice before. Covid19, restrictions on travel, lockdowns and other related regulations have made it difficult for Beyond Water to operate fully over the last 18 months, but the work still goes on.
In November 2007 Pete and Sharon Crean were living in Sydney, Australia. They were presented with the fact that one billion people don’t have access to safe, clean drinking water and another two billion don’t have the use of a toilet. They gathered a team of volunteers who were enthusiastic in doing something to alleviate poverty in East Africa and started BeyondWater. Today they are a not-for-profit organization working across East Africa. Their focus is on ensuring schools, medical clinics, childrens' homes and remote communities have access to safe, clean drinking water and sanitation facilities.
10 years on they have been able to give over 100,000 people across East Africa sustainable solutions and a way out of poverty. These facilities include deep bore wells, guttering, water tanks, hand washing facilities, toilets and health education programmes. It is a registered trust both in New Zealand and Kenya, and a charity in Australia.
A big thank you to BeyondWater for the work they are doing and for taking the time to speak to us and update us on the work you are doing, and to share ideas on how we may be able to assist you with your efforts.