Clean Water for Puerto Rico

Clean Water for Puerto Rico
PROJECT OVERVIEW: 
  • Almost 10,000 Sawyer water filter systems (including 20+ “Inline filters” intended for commercial/institutional use beenfitting clinics, schools, commuity centers) have been distributed to desperate families, schools, clinics and community organizations across Puerto Rico following Hurricanes Irma and Maria. 
  • Project Cordinator Vicki Brentin led 4 trips to Puerto Rico, and is planning another in late May. When Vicki first began the project she thought it would just be our initial distribution of around 1200 filters.  Vicki says “ I never dreamed it would rise to the level it did”.
  • Puerto Ricans thought it was pretty cool that Houston, who was suffering their own disaster, would take the time and also direct their resources to help PR.
 
WHO:
  • Skyliner Vicki Brentin, representing District 5890 Disaster Recovery Chair and Rotary Skyline and Rotary 5890
  • Key Puerto Rico partner was San Ignacio Colegio, the Jesuit college prep school. Students, teachers, parents and alums all volunteered to assemble and distribute as well as educate on proper use. The school campus is the home base of this project and they essentially adopted it as “their service to the community.  Several of the Jesuit connected volunteers are active Rotarians in Puerto Rico and they continue to be involved in our efforts.
  • Organizational partners include Disaster Aid USA (Rotary founded and supported), who provided over 500 filters to this specific endeavor and an additional 600 filters that DAUSA distributed through Rotarians and their other partners for a total of 1100.  In addition, they funded and supported a trip to send volunteers who could help train Puerto Rican volunteers, distribute and educate on proper use of the filters. DAUSA also helped train some Houston volunteer plumbers who will be part of a Strake Jesuit Faculty/Staff mission trip in May.  The Jesuit Mission group will in turn help train PR plumbers on the installation of the inline filters for an installation in late May.
  • A group of 7 faculty and 5 maintenance/operations staff from Strake-Jesuit College Prep spent one week in the  San Juan area with service projects to benefit a family needing a new roof as well as a community center in need of repair.  They assembled the inline filters while in Puerto Rico and trained locals on assembly and installation. The Jesuit mission is also preparing a PowerPoint training piece on the inline filters in both Spanish and English.
  • One Atta Time, a California based Sawyer filter charity provided almost 2,000 of the filters we distributed and made 2 trips to help train and organize volunteers. They traveled to PR one week after the hurricane and were instrumental in helping to organize and train the key volunteers who continue to help lead this work.
  • A 26 year old bitcoin/technology consultant funded the greatest portion of our expenses with over $60,000 directed to our vendors to cover the purchase of supplies, shipping  and logistics of the project.  Evan Rose, Aquarius Management Company interviewed Vicki and her team in Puerta Rico as he was searching for a partner. Fortunately, he chose our project to support. 
    • Vicki says “ I never dreamed it would rise to the level it did.  Evan’s commitment to the project made this possible and he was so generous with his resources to help at a very critical time.”  While in Puerto Rico in May 2018, Vicki finally had the opportunity to meet Evan and presented him with a Paul Harris Fellow at the Rotary Club of San Juan meeting.
  • Pipeline Packaging (Brian Graham and Jack Lee) donated 5000+ 5-gallon plastic buckets that were necessary to use with the sawyer point one filter system.  These were impossible to secure in Puerto Rico as all the factories and suppliers had been damaged, supplies depleted and not able to resume production.
 
HOW TO GET INVOLVED: The project is ongoing and additional opportunities for 5890 Rotary clubs and Rotarians to be engaged in the PR recovery are surfacing. We are now in process to develop a global grant project and Vicki is coordinating a mission trip to Puerto Rico for the 2018-19 Rotary year. For more details, please email Vicki Brentin at vbrentin@gmail.com.