The Rotary Club of Thomaston participated with 25 other Clubs in northern CT and Western MA (Rotary District 7890) to fund a project that will bring fresh drinking water, sanitation facilities and hygiene training to a needy Mayan community in Guatemala. Including matching funds from The Rotary Foundation and those contributed to ALDEA, the Cooperating Partner NGO, a total of $176,486 was raised. Adding this amount to the funds raised during the previous sixteen years brings the total to $1,856,900.
These funds will pay for the materials needed to complete a gravity fed water system with gray water filters, vented pit latrines, improved vented stoves for the 115 families (725 people) who live in the rural community of Xecoxol, Guatemala. All labor is provided by the men and women in each village. These projects continue the goal of Rotary International to have every Rotary Club support an international water and sanitation project every year. By working together, pooling their resources, and obtaining Global Grants with matching funds from The Rotary Foundation, the Rotarians have been successful in adding size and strength to their chosen projects.
