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Sanitation and Water, Community and Maternal and Child Health:
Corazon estimates that greater than 50% of Mexicans live in poverty with insufficient income to provide basic living needs including housing, water supply and sanitation. Corazon supports the building of communities by strengthening families, enabling service, promoting self-sufficiency and inspiring mutually beneficial relationships across borders. (Information copied from Corazon website, some editorial added).
Corazón provides a sense of community in which all families within it can help themselves while helping others. Corazon raises funds in collaboration with volunteers and constructs homes within a community for families. The family must be actively involved in the project. The homes are septic system ready, but these have not historically been part of the program until the pilot project in March 2015. Few homes have access to piped water owing to the cost and connection fees.
The serious need for hygiene and welfare of families and the community is the provision of water and waste management (sanitation). This involves the retroactive placement of septic systems where a property is suitable for such installation. It also involves the provision of piped water to the property where this is feasible. As part of Rotary, this fulfills part of the objective of Rotary, namely to provide sanitation and clean water; as well as contribute to child health and improvement in basic hygiene, which means disease prevention. Running water, hand washing and septic tanks lead to a better quality of life for both the families and the community, especially in this time of pandemic where washing hands and a more hygienic environment are critical.
The YLSRC now has experience with the installation of multiple septic systems, as retroactive fitting of suitable homes and construction of new homes. We understand the cost issues and are constantly working to reduce these to a lower level. We have managed to achieve a cost per tank and installation to be $1500 to $1560 for the coming Rotary year. YLSRC will implement this project. The club anticipates upwards of 14 Rotarians being involved in the program (and there will be collaboration with other Rotary clubs), from assisting installation of running water and septic systems, to working to raise additional funds for more systems. The funds we are currently requesting are for the installation of 4-5 septic systems to improve sanitation for up to 5 homes during the 2020-2021 Rotary year. This is a District Grant as ALL FUNDS ARE MANAGED and PAID IN THE USA, through Corazon, which is based in Santa Ana, California. We have a successful partnership now spanning more than 7 years. An excellent track record of achievement. Additionally we have now achieved the status of every new home built by Rotary with Corazon now has a septic system included. The program has resulted in more than 30 homes now being equipped with septic systems.
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