Great presentation today at Rotary by John C. Smarge
John Smarge has been a Rotarian and resident of Naples, Florida since 1982. His classification is Moving and Storage.
John and his wife Cindy are Major Donors and Bequest Society Members. John served as President of The Rotary Club of Naples in 1992-93 and as District 6960 Governor in 1995-96. He was a member of the Rotary International Board of Directors in 2010-2012 and Chairman of the Executive Committee, 2011-2012.
John has twice been a Delegate to the Council on Legislation and three times a member of the RI President Nominating Committee. He has served as a Rotary International Membership Coordinator, Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator, Rotary Coordinator Training Leader and as Chair of multiple RI Committees. John served as the Aide to the 2018 – 2019 Rotary International President. Currently he is a member of the Shaping Rotary’s Future Committee and a founding member of HANWASH (Haiti National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Strategy.)
John will serve as the Chairman of the 2022 RI Convention Committee (Houston, TX).
John has received numerous awards for his Rotary Service including the Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service, the Distinguished Service Award the Rotary International Service above Self Award and was recognized in 1999 as the District 6960 Rotarian of The Decade.
John is a past Board Chairman of the Naples YMCA and served as Director on the board of the Boy Scouts of America, Shelter for Abused Women, Naples Girls Sports Foundation and Southern Community Bank.
John and Cindy have three daughters and two grandchildren.
hanwash-online-presentation-2021jan.pdf
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Speaker – John – HANWASH stands for Haiti National Clean Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Strategy. This is a multi-decade project with an estimated cost of $2.3 Billion US. The goal of the project is to provide clean potable water and satisfactory sanitation to the entire nation of Haiti, a country with a population of approximately 11 million people. Currently only 30% of the people of Haiti have potable water within a 30-minute walk of their residence. In rural Haiti, where most people reside, only 24% have access to a toilet. As a result, water borne illnesses account for 50% of deaths.
Half of Haiti’s water and sanitation infrastructure does not work. The country has been an out-of-control recipient of aid funding; this has created temporary fixes, not permanent solutions.
HANWASH was established in January 2018. It is an umbrella organization that serves to bring together four entities with the Water Sanitation and Hygiene sector. The partners are Haiti Outreach, Pure Water for the World, Hope for Haiti, The World Bank, DINEPA (government agency that regulates water and sanitation), Rotary Water and Sanitation Action Group and Rotary District 7020 (in cooperation with The Rotary Foundation and other champion districts from around the world).
The focus begins with systemic, technical driven approach to gathering current data through community assessment, creating local, socially driven solutions, that result in a community action plan.
Rotarians work with local leaders to develop locally driven initiatives. Each process embodies the core values of HANWASH – sustainability, transparency, accountability and a thoughtfully managed “pay for service” system.
How can a club help? First – support the Global Grant for the pilot project in Cavaillon. Second – contribute funds which will be matched through HANWASH Donor Advised Fund. Lastly – through advocacy
John took some question from the club. When asked about the duration of the project, John estimated that it will take 20 to 30 years. There will be measurement and evaluation of the individual projects as it proceeds community by community. From an advocacy perspective, keep our eyes and ears open, if we learn of any group wishing to help in Haiti, point them to HANWASH. Their website is HANWASH.org. When asked why Haiti, it is an island, close to Florida, in his district and in the district of former RI President Barry Raison.
Thanking Speaker – Doreen – key element is to have the local community invested in the project.
https://www.hanwash.org/about/