Portales, New Mexico, U.S.A. — Noelle Bartl, president of the Portales Rotary Club, presented a $5,000 check to Don Thomas, a fellow Portales Rotarian to help with an international service project in the Dominican Republic. Don Thomas, the Pastor of Central Christian Church, and a group of about 20 high school, college and adults are going to Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic, from July 3-10, 2020. The group of volunteers will be partnering with Caribbean Mountain Academy and Pastor Andre Lara to build a site for a Water Purification System to be used in the rural parts of the Taino district of the Dominican Republic. Jarabacoa is a municipality of around 70,000 people and this water project will provide clean, sustainable water for locals that don’t have access to clean drinking water.
The lack of access to clean water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene resources is one of the world’s biggest health problems — and one of the hardest to solve. Rotary has worked for decades to provide people with clean water by digging wells, laying pipes, providing filters, and installing sinks and toilets. Through water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs, Rotary’s people of action mobilize resources, form partnerships, and invest in infrastructure and training that yield long-term change. — with Noelle Bartl, Don Thomas and Rotary District 5520.
