Solar-Powered Water Supply in Rural Liberia
Madison Rotary Club (MRC) and the Rotary Club of Gbargna, Bong County, Liberia, invite clubs of Rotary District 6250 to join in installing solar-powered water wells with tank storage in rural Liberian communities. Local wells will provide convenient, safe water, liberating women and children from the arduous and risky task of securing water. These wells will enable health, reduce disease, free up time for school, study and more productive work, while using solar energy to operate the wells more sustainably and with less pollution than fossil fuel powered pumps. The project is guided by U.N. Sustainable Development goals and supports Rotary International’s Action Groups for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (https://wash-rag.org/) and Environmental Sustainability (https://esrag.org/).
Implementation will be with experienced partners:
1. Strides for Africa (SfA) (https://stridesforafrica.org; Chris Jimieson, Principal, and Jacob Breit, Development Coordinator) – a Madison-based nonprofit linking U.S. funding sources to community development projects (mostly focused on sustainable clean water access) in several African nations.
2. Humanity Care Liberia (HCL; https://humanitycareli.com/; Sam Gaye, Principal) – an in-country implementer of water well projects; women’s empowerment, educational, and sustainable agriculture projects. Has partnered with SfA on numerous projects.
3. Feeding Mouths – Filling Minds (https://www.feedingmouthsfillingminds.com/; Maria Nicholas-Groves, Principal, and Jacob Breit, Development Coordinator) – Milwaukee-based sustainable agriculture and education-oriented collaborator with SfA.
Total Project Budget Amount
The project is scalable: each well costs $6,500.
Amount Requested: MRC’s contribution of up to $8,000 total can be leveraged to install as many as four solar powered wells. Partner Club contributions can be matched by RMC $$ and District Designated funds.
* Subject to District approval: up to a total of $5,000, District 6250’s limit for matching a single club’s contributions to a single project.
** Subject to District approval.
+ Up to the difference between $8,000 and the amount MRC commits to D6250 Club matches. District match from the partner’s district only; MRC matching contributions not eligible for district match.
Contacts: John Braden, jbb1209@gmail.com and Dave Edinger, deding@edingersurgicaloptions.com