Newtown Rotary Joins WHF

To Make An Impossible Dream Come True

With the construction of a water tower positioned outside their facility and a Disaster Relief Unit drawing contaminated water from the pond to run through their purification system, World Help Foundation (WHF) held a special meeting and tour at their local headquarters for the Newtown Rotary. Over 60 people representing the Newtown Club, other neighboring clubs and Rotary District personnel were introduced to WHF’s capabilities, needs and future plans.

The object of this meeting was to bring everyone up to date on the progress already made to bring safe drinking water to third world countries, where every day, thousands and thousands of people are dying due to lack of “safe” water. Contaminated water is the largest killer of people in the world.

WHF’s quest, “Impossible Dream,” is that one day, the entire world population will have access to safe drinking water.

Every minute of every day, eight children die (approximately 12,000 unnecessary deaths) from the lack of what we take for granted – “safe drinking water.”

World’s Help’s message is this: if one area, namely Ghana, can be made safe from the suffering and deaths caused by waterborne disease, why not all of Africa, why not all of the world?

Rotarian Harvey Sellner, president and founder of WHF, has been promoting this project for 10 years. The foundation received a big boost last June with a $15,000 matching grant from Rotary International.

Newtown Rotary contributed $3,500, the Southern Connecticut Rotary District 7980 contributed $4,000, and Rotary International matched this amount to reach the $15,000 necessary to send 150 water purifying units, 90 computers, 20 cartons of books and miscellaneous medical supplies to Ghana.

The partnership of World Help and Newtown Rotary is now working on an application for a large Rotary 3-H Grant (hunger, health, humanity) from Rotary International Foundation with a very high goal in mind. If granted, they plan to do a pilot program in Ghana, whereby a particular area or section of Ghana, currently experiencing severe problems with contaminated water, would be made absolutely free of contaminated drinking water.

If the $300,000 grant is approved, Newtown Rotary will have to raise approximately 10 percent by the fall of 2001.

Mr Sellner has made three visits to Ghana and has met with the Minister of Health, the Minister of Education and other government officials. Working with the Rotary Club of Tema, Ghana, a number of water towers incorporating the water purifiers have been erected, each capable of serving an entire village year round.

With the help of WHF engineers, a concrete-supported water tower was installed in the poor town of Akrom, Ghana. Although the installation was finished in February, the town waited until the arrival of Mr Sellner this May before they ceremoniously poured the first container of safe drinking water. This will change the health and quality of life of all the men, women and children, who were there to witness the first flow of clean, safe, running water in the history of Akrom!

Immediately after the mudslides of Venezuela last year, WHF was on the scene. Mr Sellner and Ken Erdman, a WHF engineer, traveled to the disaster area and set up numerous safe drinking water stations for the victims of this devastating disaster. One large system is still serving the people of Anare, a small town of about 5,000 people at the extreme end of the disaster area.

A short time later, El Salvador was hit with a number of earthquakes and again, World Help acted. Mr Sellner proceeded to the disaster area to supply safe drinking water to the victims. Just how many people have not suffered dysentery or other diseases or perhaps have not died because of these systems is impossible to say, but Mr Sellner and WHF personnel can sleep peacefully at night knowing that they are having a positive effect on many, many  people’s lives.

As a non-profit foundation, World Help cannot operate without the generous support of its donors. Anyone wishing to learn more about this project or help in making WHF’s “Impossible Dream” become a reality, are urged to contact World Help, located on Rt. 25 South, across from Stop & Shop, or call them at 203-270-7853.

World Help welcomes all to visit and see the water tower, Disaster Relief Unit and various educational displays. You can also pick up literature or visit their Web site: www.worldhelpfound.org.