Malcolm Brandt, a former water civil engineer and volunteer for WaterAid, told the club about its current campaign to bring safe water, sanitation and hygiene to all those in Rwanda who did not have it.
Regrettably one in nine people still do not have access to safe water and sanitation. Starting with birthing centres in 2015 because of the high neonatal deaths WaterAid has been gradually extending its work and now proposes extending it to the provision of safe water and sanitation coupled with training in hygiene to schools so that all children will have access to safe water and sanitation.
Only ten per cent of the projects they propose have been started as yet. Apart from improved health to the community and a reduction in the waste of time currently being expended in fetching water from the nearest source, the projects will result in increased transferable skills obtained by local people trained by the hospitals and Water Aid personnel thus improving the local economy.
At the July business meeting the club voted to support WaterAid as its main fundraising project.