Program Host, Ron Taggart, related his happiness moment directly to the morning's program.  He told the group that he enjoyed a great experience traveling to El Salvador to see the water project.  He also was able to help host an ice cream party for the children in the neighborhood serviced by the water project.

 

Ron introduced Jim Mulholland, the Executive Director of Companion Community Development Alternatives (CoCoDA), a Non-Governmental Organization based in Indianapolis.  He began as a volunteer with the organization, became a board member, and is currently the CEO.  He has enjoyed many collaborations with Rotarians across the US and Canada and is a Paul Harris fellow.  He was with us to share information about CoCoDA's solar-powered water system initiative that our club co-sponsored in 2019.

 

To stress the importance of water, Mr. Mulholland explained that we can live for two months without food, but only three days without water.  In places where water is not as readily accessible as it is in the US, water is also 'time' since the impoverished people spend as much as 3-4 hours per day gathering water.

 

There are advantages to solar-powered water systems.  First of all, they are simple and effective.  Panels produce energy to power a pump which takes water to a distribution tank where the water is chlorinated.  A water faucet is placed in each home along with a meter which determines the usage fee for each family, generally about $4 to $5 each month.  In El Salvador, where the first system was placed 11 years ago, the favorable weather (50 weeks of sun) permits the water systems to be very effective.

 

More recently a system was placed in Zacataloza, Nicaragua.  Our Club helped support this system by donating the last $5,000 needed to fund the $60,000 project.  The local residents have control over their own systems --- quite the benefit.  When the system reaches capacity, more solar panels can be added to increase the amount of water that can be pumped and distributed.

 

Communities benefiting from these projects are vetted and a needs assessments are completed.  When a municipality is ready to sustain the project, the community members agree to provide manpower resources. Life changes for the communities when water is piped directly to the residents' homes.

 

Ron -- thank you so very much for sharing your awareness of 'water' needs in places we have not visited.  You model 'Service Above Self' very well!!