Rotaract Clubs hand over mechanised borehole to school

The Rotaract Club of Accra-East and it's twin club, the Rotaract Club of Amuwo main in Nigeria jointly commissioned a mechanised borehole to the Olodi-Apapa Junior High school located in Lagos, Nigeria.

The water Project themed: "WATER CHARITY” forms part of the Clubs Friendship Exchange Program to support communities and individuals that are deprived of social amenities.

The Water facility, which cost about $600, was to address the most pressing needs of the Oladi-Apapa Junior High school, access to water.

Prior to the construction of the Borehole, members of the school community were forced to fetch water from a well at a nearby community because the closest borehole was about two kilometres away. Students choose to stay at home instead of coming to school due to a lack of water at the school. This resulted in poor school attendance.

At a brief ceremony to handover the project to the school, Rotaractor President Peter Ahiakpor, President of the Rotaract of Accra-East (Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Accra East) indicated that nearly 1400 children die each day from diseases caused by lack of sanitation and unsafe water.

"We Rotaract Club members are committed to reaching the water and sanitation SDG through projects like drilling Boreholes and teaching community members how to maintain new infrastructure and “Water Charity" project addresses one of Rotary’s area of focus, Water and sanitation.

Rotaractor President Lawal Bamidele from Nigeria on his part added that
"We cannot wait for the Government to provide water for all schools in Lagos. This project will help solve the problem of students who go outside the school premises during class hours in order to drink water and decide not to return to school afterwards"

Mrs. Alarbi, the Headteacher of the school, who received the equipment on behalf of the school complex, expressed her gratitude and noted that the water and sanitation Project had addressed their dying need since the school started its operations five years ago.

In most cases, students who come to school late were forced to walk long distances, hoping to find water from other sources, she added.

According to her, the school sometimes relied on rainwater, facilitated by gutters installed on the rooftop. Unfortunately, this small amount proved grossly inadequate to meet the daily needs of the pupils.

“This water Project you are giving us will provide freshwater to over 600 people including students, teaching and non-teaching staff of the school. All we have to do is to walk to the tap to fetch fresh water".

She further added, “Thanks to this borehole installation, students will be able to concentrate on their school work, which will also help improve their academic performance. Moreover, they will no longer be exposed to waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera"

The school fraternity expressed gratitude to the Rotaractors from both Ghana and Nigeria for coming to their aid.

About the Rotaract

The purpose of Rotaract is to provide an opportunity for young men and women to enhance the knowledge and skills that will assist them in personal development, to address the physical and social needs of their communities, and to promote better relations between all people worldwide through a framework of friendship.

The Rotaract Clubs of Accra-East and Amuwo main are both active Rotaract Clubs in Ghana and Nigeria respectively who are actively engaged in carrying out service projects in their communities.

Rotaractor President Lawal Bamidele (L) and Rotaractor President Peter Ahiakpor (R)