Iowa Working for WASH

Iowa Working for WASH Briefing Prepared for ______

Improving Access to Clean Water Is at the Top of Americans’ Global Health Priorities

People in the state of Iowa are leading the effort to solve the global safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) challenge. There are numerous faith-based, civic, and academic initiatives for WASH underway throughout the state. The top programs in the state include:

a) The Shenandoah Rotary Club raised $20,000 to purchase and install a water collection system to supply water for toilets in the Dominican Republic. b) The University of Iowa’s Engineers Without Borders chapter is in the midst of a five- year project to improve access to clean water and sanitation in southern Ghana. c) Rotary Club of Cedar Rapids West provided clean drinking water for 10,000 people by drilling boreholes for villages in southeastern Ghana.

Other notable efforts include:

Rotary Clubs in Iowa  Rotary Club of Des Moines o Purchased and installed a solar-powered water pump system that increased water access for villagers in Ghana o Partnered with a Rotary Club in Peru to provide biosand filter maintenance o Supplied filtration straws that provided people with clean drinking water  Fairfield Rotary Club o Raised $30,000 to fund a water project in Southeast Asia called the “Jaluke Nepal Clean Water Project”

For more information, please contact John Oldfield at WASH Advocates: 202.293.4049  [email protected]  Updated: December 2015 o Funded a local Nepalese engineer to build a reservoir and clean water wells that serve 10,000 people in Nepal  Rotary Club of Indianola o Partnered with the Rotary Club of Wuse Central in Nigeria to drill a borehole that supplied clean water and a latrine to the community  Newton and Iowa City Rotary Clubs o Provided access to clean water and sanitation in schools and homes in Mexico through an ongoing partnership with University of Iowa students  Rotary Club of Ames o Participated in Rotary International’s Future Vision initiative and funded a Global Grant that implemented WASH projects in Tanzania

Faith-Based Organizations in Iowa  Lutheran Church of Hope, Des Moines o Conducts a yearly mission trip to Ghana to implement water purification systems in partnership with Globe Serve West Africa  Southeastern Iowa Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Des Moines o Hosted a roundtable discussion with local Tanzanian officials on water quantity and quality issues with the Diocese of the Lutheran Church in Tanzania  St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, Iowa City o Donated a special offering to Shepherd’s Heart International Ministries for their water purification system projects  First United Presbyterian Church, Atlantic o Established a ‘noisy offering’ once a month to collect coins to build wells for communities in partnership with Living Water for the World  Griswold United Methodist, Griswold o Collected donations to build a well in Mali o Taught students about the importance of safe drinking water and welcomed a representative from Global Partners in Hope  Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, Marion o Raised $5,000 to provide a well to 400 people in Ethiopia through charity: water

Schools & Universities in Iowa  University of Iowa – Engineers Without Borders, Iowa City o Provided water filters, training sessions to care for the filters, and a subsidy program to help make the filters more affordable for families in Ghana o Ph.D. student Luke Juran conducted research on post-disaster water and sanitation in India through a Fulbright grant  Iowa State University – Engineers Without Borders, Ames o Hosted a Ghanaian Funerary Folk Art Auction and proceeds supported ongoing water projects in Ghana

 Lincoln Elementary School – H2O for Life Chapter, Iowa City o Raised funds for a new well in a South Sudan school

 Southeast Polk Junior High School – H2O for Life Chapter, Pleasant Hill o Raised more than $4,000 for a water well project in South Sudan o Raised funding to provide a water well for the a primary School in Uganda

[Type text] [Type text] [Type text] WASH-Focused Organizations in Iowa  Medicine for Mali, Urbandale o Provides clean water to villages through drilling, piping and plumbing, and expanding existing access to clean water o Drilled 26 clean water wells – 12 within the past 3 years o Trains village water committees to maintain and repair wells  Iowa Water Environment Association, Des Moines o Raises funds to implement water projects in Mexico o Educates students in Iowa about the need for clean drinking water and sanitation in developing countries  Iowa Professional Chapter of Engineers Without Borders, Iowa City o Installed a solar-powered water pump system and collected data on a major water system in El Salvador to evaluate water quality issues

For more information, please contact John Oldfield at WASH Advocates: 202.293.4049  [email protected]  Updated: December 2015