Water for Rombo

The Club were delighted to welcome Monday 24 April Limavady Rotary Club Past President Peter Jack and last year's Limavady Interact Club President Rachael Rainey who gave excellent presentations on their visit last summer to Rombo, Kenya when 7 Interactors and 5 Rotarains visited Elaine Bannon in Rombo. Elaine (from Cork) has been in Rombo for 13 years helping the Maasai people.

In a lively and enthusiastic address Rachael reported on her visit advising that she had had her eyes opened by the differences and had returned with a determination to make life easier for them. Peter, Jack, holding up a glass of water highlighted how much we take water for granted which is vital for life and yet millions dot no have access to clean water putting lives in jeopardy. He noted that the Limavady Club were now raising funds to bring a water supply to Belgrove School and that they need to raise £20,000 to obtain a matching global grant. President Ivan presented a cheque for £250.

Rachel particularly noted her first impressions of the Light of Maasai house which were:

• an unappetising dinner of fruit and vegetables – which were not her favourites - though she now does like them!
• 20 people sleeping in a room the size of her own bedroom and
• no health and safety (hard hats etc) as they helped with the building of the foundations of a school.

She advised that they had visited schools in the day time and generally relaxed in the evenings and was taken aback that a small gift of maize which they brought on their visit to a Maasai tribe village would keep them in food for days! She noted how proud the Maasai were of their houses and of Belgrove Primary School but that the children sleep on cold mud floors have holes in their shoes, walk miles to school, have no water and yet smile from ear to ear! She particularly wished that everyone could see those smiles and that not being able to get that school out of her head her whole outlook on life had changed and she was more appreciative of everything. She concluded her motivational address by stressing that they need help and stressed that we all can do.

Peter also highlighted the joy on the faces of the Belgrove schoolchildren at their small gifts of candy and pens etc. He confirmed that Project Ciara had been 100% successful and had provided clean drinking water from a borehole via 20km of pipelines to 7,000 people but Belgrove had no water and certainly none to drink and that it was Elaine Bannon's aspiration to get water for the school.

In this context he had copies of his latest book "My Journeys – Part 3" (the foreword of which has been written by Elaine) for sale at £10.00 per copy all proceeds going to the Fund. Peter spoke to the Club following the publication of his first "Journeys" book and to date has raised over £8,000 for Rotary Charities. The inside cover of which contains the words "A Rotarian is:-".