Several years ago, our club accepted a donation from a Valdese resident that was earmarked for a water project that would serve the people of Africa – any country in Africa. Club members have been looking for the right opportunity and it is finally here.
Wine to Water, out of Boone, NC, has a factory in Tanzania that creates clay water filters in 5 gallon buckets. Many of the employees are locals. With the donation to the Valdese club, combined with a Rotary District Match and a Rotary Global Match – the project will have $100,000 to purchase 1900 filters to deliver to homes in the Tanzania area.
Our club must partner with a club in the that serviced area to be eligible for the Global Grant. Ralph Williams from Rotary Club of Arusha visited Valdese in December, 2019 to learn more about the project and the possibility of our clubs working together. On Monday, December 9, we hosted a reception for Ralph at The Levee and on Tuesday we discussed specifics at our Board Meeting.
At this time, paper work is being prepared to obtain the grant money. Some Rotarians are planning a trip to Africa in February.