Global Grant to the Rotary Club of Marble Falls

 

March 1, 2018

 

 

 

The Rotary International Foundation of Evanston, Illinois has awarded a $50,000 Global Grant to the Rotary Club of Marble Falls and the Huejutla (way-hoot-la) Centenario Club of Huejutla de Reyes, Mexico. The purpose of the grant is to establish water purification stations primarily in the indigent Sierra Madres Mountains just outside of Huejutla. The program will be a joint effort of the Rotary, the County of Huejutla and the CECyTE magnet school also located in Huejutla.

 

Although no longer as common worldwide, cholera is still highly prominent in this region that struggles with poor water contamination and unregulated sanitation. The disease is spread from person to person through water and contaminated feces, from both animals and humans, causing serve sickness and even death. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 90% of Mexico’s cholera cases are from the state of Hidalgo, where Huejutla is located. Hidalgo lies north east of Mexico City.

 

The initial project will place 4 purification stations in the region. One of the stations will serve as a training site that will teach students to maintain and operate the purification sites. The CECyTE School has an enrollment of over 500 students many from the indigent areas.  The school also plans to maintain a permanent program of water purification and sanitation. Along with area Rotarians they plan an extensive sanitation education program. This project, if successful, will be sustaining leading to dozens more stations in state of Hidalgo.

 

In addition to the Marble Falls Noon Rotary Club, the project is also being funded by other area clubs including the Rotary Daybreak Club of Marble Falls, The Rotary Club of Burnet and the Rotary Club of Lakeway/Lake Travis. Rotary is one of the world’s most prestigious service clubs with over 1.2 million members, with more than 33,000 clubs in 200 countries worldwide. The foundation was recently voted as the Worlds Outstanding Charity in 2017 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. The cornerstone of this excellence has been its 30 year Polio Plus campaign to erase polio. Starting in 1985 it has reduced the number of worldwide reported cases from 350,000 yearly to just under 300 in 2017. Also the number of countries where polio has been reported to be just 3. The foundation along with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has raised over 1.3 billion dollars for this effort.

 

For more information please contact Rotary at www.rotaryorg. The Rotary Club of Marble Falls meets every Thursday, noon at the River City Grille ;www.marblefallsrotary.org. The Rotary of Marble Falls Daybreak Club meets every Tuesday 7 AM also at the River City Grille; www.marblefallsdaybreak.org.