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Russ Kehler (right), Recent Past President of Broomall Rotary and Chairperson of the Nigerian Water Project , reviews project progress with Construction Manager Stan Madson.

Broomall Rotary Teamwork Brings Clean Water to Nigeria

 Teamwork is often what makes the difference between a project that is successful and one that never gets off the drawing board. This was the thought going through Russ Kehler's head back in the summer of 2004, as he sat with the members of his Broomall PA Rotary, International Service Committee (District 7450). The committee had just agreed to commit to what was initially a fifty two thousand dollar water purification project for the small, needy village of Kwang, in central Nigeria. It was a great project idea. It was right at the top of the list for RI projects for that year, the village was in desperate need for a water purification plant for the new Haven of Hope Medical Clinic, and one of the club's members had friends who were helping the missionaries in Kwang. To make it even more appealing, Russ' friend and fellow Broomall Rotarian, Stan Madsen, had already built several of these plants in the past, with the support of a Christian Charity, Plesion International. Plesion had agreed to help Broomall Rotary with the logistics of materials and transportation needs. Now all the small Rotary club of thirty members had to figure out was how to come up with fifty-two thousand dollars and find enough help to build the purification plant!

 As it turned out, teamwork was what made the difference! Russ & Stan, with the support of the other members, took their show on the road, visiting dozens of local Rotary Clubs, telling them about the great need in Nigeria, and how they could help. Having been part of a group of Rotary Clubs who had just recently finished a similar project for Bolintin Deal, Romania, helped Stan and Russ generate interest in this new project for Nigeria. They explained that although two thirds of the earth is covered in water, only 2.5% of that is fresh water. Of the fresh water that we have, 99.7% is tied up in ice fields and glaciers. For millions of people around the world the water they do have access to is polluted by man, bacteria, viruses, or parasites. There are over one billion people in the world who do not have sufficient access to fresh clean water. As past RI director Grant Wilkins has said, "It's up to every individual club to do what it can, to identify a project associated with providing safe and pure water in some part of the world." The villagers in Kwang are subject to typhoid, giardia, and a particularly nasty worm like parasite called bilharzias, which they can contract simply by splashing in the river. It has been estimated that as many as two thirds of the people in Nigeria are chronically ill because of water borne parasites and diseases. Some estimate that 50% of the Nigerian children do not live past the age of five years.

 The clubs of District 7450 answered the call with all the enthusiasm Rotarians are known for! Russ coordinated the donations from other Rotary Clubs and Rotary matching grants, while Stan organized the Rotarians into Saturday work crews. Soon the local Interact and Rotoract were involved as well. With over one hundred Interactors from Marple Newtown High School in Broomall participating, they passed out water bottles to their friends and families with instructions to fill the bottles with dollar bills every day for a month, so that others could have clean water too. The Saturday work crews took a forty foot steel shipping container, lined it with plywood, ran plumbing and electrical lines, and installed the filtration system into the shipping container. Rotarians from all over the District showed up to help. Eighty two year old Broomall Rotarian Jim Gullborg who has been a Rotarian for over 54 years (perfect attendance) painted almost the entire inside of the container by himself! The local high school art club painted bright water themed murals on the outside to give the filtration plant a splash of Rotary color.

 But they were not yet done. Stan, who does not understand the meaning of "can't be done", collected from Rotarians, local churches, and doctors, almost fifty thousand dollars worth of additional medical equipment, cots, and other items to add to the container for the medical clinic in Kwang Village, bringing the project total to over one hundred thousand dollars. Before they were done the Rotarians in District 7450 who participated were even able to add a waste water pond to the inventory.

 All told there were over a dozen clubs in District 7450 who were financial partners, other clubs who helped with the construction, and several hundred Rotarians both in the US as well as Jos Nigeria who all contributed in some way. There was support from local churches and Plesion International, and even local widows of former Rotarians helped as well when they read about the exciting project in the local newspaper. Grants from Rotary International, as well as a District Designated Grant, and several matching grants from District 7450's Gundaker Foundation helped to close the financial gap in the end. On August 21, 2007 Stan sent Russ an e-mail explaining that the engineer they had sent to hook up the Kwang Village Water Filtration System had just contacted him. "All is working with the filter system!" read the message. "It has been a long time from the beginning, raising the bucks to getting water delivered to the village, but all is well." Russ sighed with relief, knowing that it was three years of Rotary Teamwork that was saving lives today in Nigeria and maybe bringing us all just a bit closer to peace in the world.

Broomall Rotary International Service Committee.

This Committee has been the spearhead of Water Purification Projects.

Please Click below to view the PDF presentation which overviews the recent project for Rumanain Orphans completed in 2004 and the currect project set for Kwang Village in Nigeria.

A brief description of the projects is also found below. All projects are the work of many dedicated and selfless volunteers including Rotarians and others who care about making this a better world.

Special thanks to
Russ Kehler: Committe Chairman
Stan Madsen: Construction Director
Bill Brower: Treasurer
Paul Abrams: Club Contacts

And of course our partner clubs, who donate their time and money to support this important work. We're in this together!
Broomall, Ardmore, Newtown Square, Haverford Twp., Coatesville, Philadelphia, Central Chester County, Jos Nigeria Rotary Clubs

To donate, arrange for speakers for your club, or for further info.
 contact Chairperson & Broomall Rotary President Russ Kehler at:
 fun@kehlersgym.com

Click Here

for PDF information and pictures on Rotary Water Purification Projects

   International Water Project

 Of all the issues facing the peoples of the third world, perhaps the greatest need of all is access to clean potable water. Water is the basis of life and without it we cannot survive as people, which is why Rotary has encouraged all clubs this year to get involved with a water purification project.  This is your opportunity.

       For millions of people around the world, the only water they have access to is either polluted by man or spoiled by bacteria, viruses, and other parasites that would terrify the average American.   

           In 2003 Broomall Rotary, with assistance from Newtown Square Rotary and others,  was privileged to be part of a project where they helped an orphanage in Romania. Rotary was able to send a complete "Waters of Life" purification system to a group of orphanages in Bolintin Deal 10 miles outside of Bucharest Romania. A forty foot shipping container was completely outfitted with the Waters of Life system. With the help of the Rotary Club of Targu Jiu in Romania, it arrived at the home on April 22 2004. What a tremendous success and rewarding experience for those who were involved!

           Now we have just concluded the next exciting adventure. The people of Nigeria do not even have access in many cases to well water. Most of the inhabitants of Kwang Village Plateau State and surrounding villages must get their water directly from the river which is infected with Giardia, Typhoid, and other water born parasites. Bilharzias is so infectious that the small worm like creatures will bore into the locals' skin when they have only been exposed to the water for no more than twenty seconds.( The result is infection, pustules, and eventually the parasites move to the organs of the body causing internal bleeding, brain tumors, and death.)

         It has been estimated that 2/3 of the inhabitants of Nigeria are chronically ill because of water born parasites and diseases.

       Because of contaminated water and malnutrition an estimated 50% of children will not live past the age five.

       For those who make it past five, we are told the life expectancy is forty years.

       Thanks to the efforts of Ireland Outreach, a Christian mission group, a new medical clinic known as the Haven of Hope has been opened nearby to help these people. The mission would like a Waters of Life purification system so they cannot only provide potable water for the surrounding villages, but so they can also have pure water for the medical services they are providing. The Rotary Club of Jos, Nigeria, which is about ten miles away, has offered logistical support.

           The Broomall Rotary Club under Russ Kehler's Presidency, not only to provided them with a complete system inside a forty foot container identical to Romania, but to also included a complete waste water treatment system. All construction was done under the guidance of Rotarian Stan Madson in Broomall where Rotarians and other volunteers framed the inside of a forty foot shipping container, and installed the purifier.

Broomall Rotary President Russ Kehler (Far Left) & Stan Madsen (Far right) continue to make presentations at Rotary Clubs all over the Delaware Valley.

The Marple Newtown High School Interact Club has joined our project. They are participating in the Water Bottles for Nigeria Fundraiser. Over a hundred students showed up for our presentation and afterwards, they each left with armfuls of water bottles to be given to their friends and families. The bottles will be returned after 30 days, after $1 is placed in the bottle for each day. Russ reminded the students that drinking clean water here in America was easy, as symbolized by the water bottles, but in many parts of the world, clean water is a life and death issue!
It was quite exciting to see these young people, who are sponsored by the Broomall & Newtown Square Rotary Clubs, as they jumped right in and committed to helping those in need!

Russ Kehler, the Broomall Rotary Interact Coordinator, is pictured (center) with the Interact Club where he spoke recently to recruit their help in raising money for the Nigeria Water Project.
 The Club faculty supervisor, Mollie Faunestalk is pictured far right.

Broomall Rotary President Russ Kehler was received warmly recently at the breakfast meeting of the Abington Rotary Club, where he made another of many presentations for the Nigeria Water Project. Club President John Washington, Abington's president, is pictured here. The president of the Arcadia College Rotoract was also present at the meeting and she pledged her member's assistance for the project construction as well.

Construction Began on Sept. 2nd 2006

Thanks to Stan and all the Rotarians & other volunteers who helped!

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