Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club - Stillwater, Minnesota

In December, 2006, our club joined with the Pune Tilak Road Club in Pune India in a project to provide household water filters to approximately 40 more households in the village of Bhukum near Pune, India. A member of our club met with representatives of the Prabodh company and provided club funds to subsidize the purchase of 40 filters, for distribution in Bhukum early in 2007.

Residents pay half the cost of the filters, so they are invested in the success of the program. These filters are distributed through a community self-help group that the Pune club supports that includes medical, computer literacy and micro-finance operations.

Here Rotarian Ted Nesse of the Stillwater Sunrise club, and Dileep Kanhere, president of the Pune Tilak Road Rotary club present a filter to one of the recipients.

On March 1, 2007, a member of our club visited Bhukum to celebrate the distribution of the 40 water filters.

The base of the filter system is a stainless steel tank that collects the filtered water.

A liner provides a tight seal with the filter element and is easy to clean.

The filter element is similar in operation to diatomaceous earth, but uses locally available materials. The operation of the filter has been hospital-tested to show removal of 100% of e-coli bacteria from contaminated water. Water poured into the top of the assembled system is pulled through the filter and into the storage tank by gravity. The unit has a daily capacity appropriate for use by one family.

The clinic room is at the left, and a computer literacy program is based in the room to the right. Pictured are Rotarians Nitin Joshi and Dileep Railkar.

The Pune Tilak Road club provided this gathering hall, and staffs the clinic it contains, on land provided within a local estate. Supported programs include: education, clean water, micro-finance, computer literacy and a medical dispensary. The filters are distributed through this clinic.

This is the main street of the village. The town has 450 famiilies with a total of about 4000 people. Two-thirds of the population participates in self-help groups and other club-supported activities.

The person with a role similar to a mayor, Mr. Mazire, greeted us at city hall. At left is Rotarian Dileep Railkar that coordinated the project through the local Tilak Road Rotary club.

To honor the Stillwater Sunrise Rotary club, five village women decorated the forehead of Rotarian Ted Nesse.

A local celebrity wrestler tied a ceremonial turban on Rotarian Ted Nesse who was representing the Stillwater Sunrise Club. This was in addition to the garland of flowers, forehead decoration (tikka), roses and coconut.

Our group visited two local homes to see the filters in operation. A majority of homes in the village now have filters subsidized by the Pune Tilak Road Rotary club.

This kitchen showed another filter in operation.

The neatly arranged vessels in this kitchen were impressive.

The Stillwater Sunrise Rotary club provided funds to subsidize (at 50%) 40 filters for the village. Here, village women prepare to receive their filters.

The Tilak Road Rotary Club in Pune India has adopted the village of Bhukum, and has set up impressive program infrastrure and social networks. For example, the club provided a $500 seed for a micro-finance operation several years ago, and now there are 10 operational groups with capitalization of $30,000.

Because of the strong education and social network in place in Bhukum, the filters are sure to be put to good use.

From left: Nalini Gujrathi - wife of Mohan Gujrathi, owner of estate on which the gathering hall is located, Ted Nesse - visiting from Stillwater Sunrise club, Dileep Kanhare - Tilak Road club president, Dileep Railkar - Tilak Road club secretary, Nitin Joshi - visiting from another Pune club, and Dr. Anand Biniwale - primary leader for dispensary program.