Lawrence Rotary - International Service - Dominican Republic March 2009

In March, five Lawrence Rotarians and three friends of Rotary, traveled to the interior of the Dominican Republic for the sole purpose of working hand in hand with members of the Bonao Rotary Club installing water filters and conducting a health clinic. This was truly an excellent example of how a Rotary International project should work. Prior to our arrival, the Bonao Club ordered and delivered water filters (each weighing over 300 pounds) to 55 homes. Upon the arrival of Lawrence Rotarians, we installed the filters, which required sanitizing, leveling, filling with precise amounts of gravel and sand, and instructing the home owner on proper use. Each install took about an hour. We worked in teams of three, one of which had to be fluent in Spanish. Interesting is that we had the assistance of not just members of the Bonao Rotary Club, but several residents who had learned the procedures from our previous trips. Pictured below is a typical scene of family members and other interested observers.

The need for water filters in the Dominican Republic is immense. In spite of having an abundance of rain, the water available for drinking is not safe. Every home in the country has a need for either bottled water or a water filter. Given the poverty, bottled water is not an option for most. The installations were in a variety of homes, some with dirt floors and no running water as well as in an immaculately clean and modern nursing home.

The other activity we organized was a health clinic at the local grammar school. A dentist from the Dominican Rotary instructed groups of children on proper technique of brushing teeth and hand washing. The Lawrence Rotarians brought 200 tooth brushes and 8 cases of tooth paste to distribute.

The group stayed at a ranch, owned by a former Lawrence Rotarian. While the accommodations were not luxurious, the scenery and geography was spectacular. The Dominican is lush, mountainous and muddy! The DR is home to the highest peak (over 10,000 feet) in the Caribbean.

Pictured here are the Lawrence Rotarians and all the items donated which we carried with us. Pictured left to right are Kay Frishman, Steve Anderson, David Dreyfus, Mark Engelberg and Diane Shikrallah.

Here are some more pictures of the 2009 Trip: