South Delta Secondary School’s (SDSS) Rotary Interact Club is joining forces again this year to combat the pressing issue of clean water accessibility in rural Uganda.
The Rotary Club of Tsawwassen has been collaborating with the Rotary Club of Mbarara, Uganda, to undertake the Water and Sanitation Health (WASH) project in remote areas like Irimya Parish of South West Uganda. With a target of raising $110,000, the funds will be combined with contributions from the Rotary District, Rotary International, and local government, amounting to a total project budget of $450,000 for the Gravity Flow System.
Last year, students from the SDSS Interact Club raised more than $1,400 through initiatives like bottle drives and bake sales, demonstrating their commitment to making a difference.
Grade 11 students and Rotary Interact Club co-presidents Amy Yang and Eileen Cai said the bake sale was a tremendous success, and they are considering hosting it again this year. The club is also planning a series of unconventional fundraisers, such as “taping a teacher to a wall” or “pie to the face” event, hoping to incentivize fellow students to contribute to the cause.
However, the Rotary Interact Club is still actively looking for more students who genuinely want to partake in the club’s humanitarianism goal.
“We don’t want people to join just for the incentives. We want them to be able to help and volunteer,” Cai said. “We don’t want them just sitting in the meetings for 30 minutes just to fill out the attendance form and then not actually volunteer for anything, so we want people who are genuinely motivated to help out and plan on volunteering.”
Currently, WASH’s objective is to provide clean and sustainable drinking water to a region that has long suffered from a lack of access to safe water sources. This initiative will not only create a lasting solution, but also empower the local community. In addition to building the Gravity Flow System, the project aims to train 7,000 people, equipping them with the essential knowledge to maintain the project.
“I am glad that we are helping,” Yang said. “I think is a necessity (clean water). We should probably do more fundraisers this year, the WASH project has been the club’s international project.”
