Print

Rotary District 7810 encompasses the province of New Brunswick, Canada, and Aroostook and Washington Counties in eastern Maine, USA. Area 1 within the district is made up of the Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Fort Kent, Limestone, Mars Hill, Presque Isle, and Washburn Rotary clubs in Aroostook County.

These Area 1 clubs have joined together to launch Project GIIVE 2017 (Guatemalan Infrastructure Improvement Venture). To date, the Perth-Andover, and Woodstock, NB, Canada, and Houlton, Maine, USA Rotary Clubs have also joined in this venture.

Project GIIVE 2017, as its name states, seeks to improve the infrastructure in Guatemalan villages in the Monterrico, Santa Rosa, Guatemala region, approximately 80 kilometers south of Guatemala City.

At the present time, water drawn from a water table that is approximately 3 meters below ground level is contaminated due to lack of proper sanitation facilities. The contaminated water contributes to intestinal illnesses in at-risk individuals, the elderly and children. Additionally, the smoke from open flame cooking facilities contaminates the air inside the houses and contributes to bronchial illness across the family unit.

In partnership with the Guatemalan Rotary Club de La Ermita, water filtration devices to provide safe drinking water, eco-stoves to provide healthy home cooking facilities that vent smoke to outside the houses and eco-toilets for improved sanitation will be provided to between 60 and 150 homes.

The GIIVE group of Rotary Clubs will be sending Rotarians and vocationally-trained individuals to Monterrico, Guatemala, in the spring of 2017.

If you would like to learn more about Project GIIVE 2017 there are currently presentations scheduled for the following Rotary clubs: Perth-Andover, New Brunswick, Canada, February 8, noon (AST): Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada, February 22 noon (AST): Caribou, Maine, February 24, noon (EST): Washburn, Maine, February 24, 5:30PM (EST): Florenceville, New Brunswick, Canada, February 29, 6PM (AST). You are encouraged to verify these dates and times as weather or club circumstances may impact this schedule. You may also contact any Presque Isle, Caribou, Limestone, Mars Hill, Washburn, Fort Fairfield, and Houlton [Maine (USA)] or Perth-Andover, and Woodstock [New Brunswick (Canada)] Rotarian. Please check back often as additional information will be posted as it becomes available.