Longtime Rotary Club of Osoyoos member Roger Clinton (left) detailed the importance of providing clean drinking water to less fortunate residents in Honduras during last week’s regular club meeting. Following his presentation, members voted to provide $2,800 in funding so Clinton and his wife Gerrie can move forward with a plan to provide clean drinking water to 21 families in the Trujillo region of Honduras over the next two years. Clinton and his wife, with support from the local club, helped build a small school in Honduras two years ago. Clinton is seen above with Rotary Club of Osoyoos president Brian Rawlings. (Keith Lacey photo)
Close to two dozen families in Honduras will be provided clean, safe drinking water thanks to the assistance of the Rotary Club of Osoyoos and longtime member Roger Clinton.
Clinton asked for and received approval from fellow members to provide roughly $2,800 in funding over the next two years, which will provide clean drinking water to 21 families.
“We have about 21 families to service in the Trujillo area,” said Clinton, during a presentation to the club at its regular weekly meeting at the Best Western Inn last Thursday. “Besides water, we also take enough food to feed these families for a week.
“It was first discovered that there was a need for fresh water and medical care. When we were giving out medication, we discovered that contaminated water was causing much of the illness and we observed that overall health of these people was much improved with a fresh water supply.”
Clinton and his wife Gerrie Harker have been travelling to Honduras on a regular basis for the last four years and played a pivotal role in helping raise more than $20,000 to build a small school for kindergarten students in Honduras.
That school now has two rooms and houses more than 50 young students, including more than 20 kindergarten students who are excelling thanks to having access to education, said Clinton.
Every time he and his wife travel back and forth between Osoyoos and Honduras, they bring a large packet of goods such as toothpaste and bathroom supplies.
“These are very, very poor people,” he said.
During a recent trip, one elderly lady diagnosed with cancer was released from hospital without medication and died shortly thereafter, which was heartbreaking to witness, he said.
Starting a program to deliver clean water in five-gallon jugs will help more than 20 families and will greatly improve their quality of life, he said.
“I have never seen such poverty and such horrible living conditions,” he said. “Honduras gets a lot of rain, but they do a poor job of looking after this resource and much of their water is contaminated.”
Because of the scarcity of clean drinking water, many Hondurans consume large amounts of soft drinks as they are very cheap, but this has led to Honduras having the highest outbreak of diabetes in the Caribbean and drugs to treat diabetes cost the same as they do in Canada, which makes them unaffordable for almost everyone in that country, he said.
The cost to provide water to 21 families is $5.52 (U.S.) for a five-gallon jug and pump and refills are just over $1 per week.
“The total cost to provide water for a month is roughly $88 … the total cost for one year is $1,056 to provide life giving clean water.”
In Canadian dollars, this is roughly $1,400 per year.
When club president asked members at the meeting if they wished to support this project, they voted unanimously in favour and will provide $2,800 in funding to cover costs over the next two years.
Honduras has a “strange requirement” that all children wishing to attend school must wear a school uniform and proper shoes, so Clinton, his wife and other Canadians volunteering in the area have raised funds to purchase uniforms for more than 100 children to attend school over the past several months, said Clinton.
“In summary, it is clear that these folks need help mainly with clean water, but also with medical help, replacing wind damaged buildings, trips to the doctor or dentist and with school uniforms,” he said.
Clinton said he and his wife would offer up free accommodation at their condo in Honduras for any Rotary Club member who might want to visit Honduras and assist in relief efforts.
“Why not come and visit Honduras and help take food and water to seniors,” he said. “Come and swim on our beaches and enjoy the warm climate and wonderful people. The sandy beaches are wide and long and the ocean is warm. It would be the experience of a lifetime.
“Honduras is a bit of a crazy country, but I love it and from time to time the people there need a little help.”
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
