Our Club Stories
Amertha Bhuana (Bali) Water Project
Como Rotary's Amertha Bhuana water project in Bali was completed in June 2024 with the assistance of the Rotary Clubs of Moora and Mill Point. The Rotary Club of Bali Taman sent an invitation for anyone interested in attending the handover ceremony of the project to the villages involved, they would be most welcome. In July, a number of Como Rotary members and friends flew to Bali, along with members of the Moora club. All were made very welcome and the handover ceremony was a pretty special occasion to be a part of. It was shown how much the supply of water to the villages meant to the residents, particularly the children who were able to play under a running hose for the first time at their village.
A new chapter of hope and transformation is unfolding in the village thanks to this Water Project. For the first time, this community has access to a fresh, clean water system, which is having a profound and positive impact on their daily lives. The project has not only improved sanitation and health but has also brought a sense of joy and celebration. We witnessed the true spirit of this change, from a community ceremony marking the official handover of the water system to the unbridled joy of children and adults alike playing with running water for the very first time. The happy faces of the villagers as they receive supplies and clothes are a testament to the project’s success and the positive change it has brought. It’s more than just water; it’s a new lease on life
Uganda Water Project
From 2008 to 2014, Como Rotary members, Bill McKay, and Peter Wylie raised funds and assisted the Kampala Rotary Club in Uganda in organising surrounding villages to be able to drill approximately 95 water wells. Bill Mackay's interest in helping Uganda was due to him being head of Telecom over there, prior to President Idi Amin’s era.
Bill and Peter visited together twice where Bill introduced Peter to local humanitarians. Bill taught Peter how to drill oil wells by hand and showed him some toilet blocks that he had built. After that time, they decided to come to Uganda separately in order to maximise their effectiveness. Between the two of them Peter estimated that they drilled 90 to 95 wells and built five toilet blocks for local schools in the surrounding area. Peter also organised the building of a respite room for babies and sick children at an orphanage run by the indomitable Sister Elizabeth.
Peter and Bill self-funded their trips, 7 for Peter and at least 9 for Bill. Most of the funding for the materials came from donations after visiting other Rotary Clubs and from Como Rotary’s fundraising activities.
The wells were all built by local villagers who were trained to use ropes and pulleys on a triangular pipe frame to drop a weighted pipe with a clacker valve at the foot end into the ground, previously softened with water. In this way they drove a 100-millimetre borehole down approximately 4-5m into the ground. The method had to be simple and without complicated equipment so that two trained local men would be able to travel to the sites to supervise and complete the work by themselves, when they were not there.
Bill and Peter supplied three drilling rigs and were kept busy visiting the work sites when they were over there. They also supplied the plastic liners for the wells and Indian pumps to pump the water for the villager to use. Bill also funded the purchase of two motorbikes and trained two technicians so that they could travel to the villages to install and maintain the pumps.
Before having wells to use, the women and children would have to travel up to seven kilometres to fetch water.
