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Kherson is located on the west bank of the Dnipro River, which flows into the Black Sea and has been the source of water to this area for decades. Kherson was bombed early in the war, and was the first city to fall to Russia, who occupied this Oblast until Ukraine reclaimed it in November 2022.
There are several villages northwest of Kherson that have completely lost their potable water treatment systems. This is causing the spread of water borne diseases in the area. The latest issue in the area is the bombing of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Dam. This has caused significant flooding in the area which is making the potable water source even harder to find.
The purpose of this global grant is to install a potable water treatment plant. One issue is the effects of the Black Sea on the local groundwater. This is causing a significant increase in the amount of salt in the groundwater, which makes it impossible to use as a drinking water source.
This project will locate a new drinking water system that has both ion exchange and reverse osmosis treatment technology to make safe drinking water for the community. It will be located centrally to allow residents to bring carboys to the facility to fill their needs or drinking water at their homes.
Due to its proximity to the fighting and Russia's continued bombing of infrastructure in the area, new sources of potable water are needed to sustain the population. Placing a water station in the area between Mykolaiv and Kherson would have an immediate and lasting impact to these residents. The distance that locals would need to go to get water would also be reduced. The village of Posad-Rokrovs'ke would be the site of the installation.
The population in the small villages of the Kherson Oblast are experiencing fluctuations in the population as residents flee, return and then evacuate again. The water treatment plants have sustained enough damage that they are not functioning. Safe water is simply unavailable unless it is hauled in from other locations. Residents in the area of Myrne, which is on the border of Kherson and Mykolaiv Oblasts, as well as the villages of Luch and Novohryhorivk must rely on outside sources to bring water to them. A humanitarian group named the British Expeditionary Aid Rescue (BEAR) delivers water to ten villages three days a week, using a van. Without these deliveries, potable water would not be available.
The population of these ten villages fluctuates as residents move away and return, and numbers range on average between 75 and 100 residents, mostly children and the elderly. Making water available closer to and within these villages will free up the BEAR volunteers to help Ukraine in other capacities such as rebuilding. The reconstruction of water systems once the war is over will be long and arduous. Access to water now and in the future will allow residents to remain during this process.
This project is coordinating efforts with the Romania - Ukraine HUB. This facility coordinates and deliver's humanitarian aid to areas throughout Ukraine that are affected by the war. We are proposing to use the network of the HUB to assist in the implementation of this project.
All Rotary clubs in Ukraine are in one district, number 2232. There are 62 Rotary clubs in total throughout the country with about 1100 members and 24 Rotaract clubs with over 300 members. Each club operates independently of the others and implements their own projects.
The Ismail Rotary Club was started in 2018 and meets every Monday at 6pm. Its first president was Valentin Stroia, who worked at the Tulcea Humanitarian Logistics Hub in Tulcea, Romania from March to November, 2022. Igor Babaian is a charter member, a Paul Harris Fellow and is currently the Operations Manager at the Hub. Igor had traveled from Ukraine to Romania on business when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, and has been working at the Hub ever since. He is also a Past President of the Ismail Club and has been an integral part of over (how many projects?) projects that the club has completed. Their efforts have been enhanced by Igor's master's degree in project management and 17 years managing international projects.
Due to the successful and ethical implementation of their projects, the Hub has utilized the Ismail Rotary club's network of contacts to ensure humanitarian aid is delivered safely and completely to its consignees in southern and western Ukraine since March of 2022.
Completed Ismail Rotary club projects include the following:
• Global Grant with Sioux Falls Rotary Club for wheelchairs delivered to the Odessa Hospital on (date), valued at $________________.
• Rotary grant with Brooklyn Bridge Rotary Club
• Other projects...
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