THOMASVILLE — The Rotary Club of Thomasville has partnered with a Rotary club in Ireland and three clubs in Kenya for a sanitation and hygiene project at Olmapinu Comprehensive School in Rombo, Kenya.

The school supports 424 Maasai tribe students and staffers, and the project complies with all Kenyan and tribal guidelines. Included in the build are 12 toilets for girls, five toilets and five urinals for boys, and additional facilities for staff, younger and handicapped children. Additionally, the project includes hand-washing stations, sanitation and hygiene education for children, families and staff, and funding for the sustainability of the facilities.

Thomasville Rotarian and past club president Joe Brown is leading the Thomasville club’s involvement in the project.

“Our club’s 100% participation in fundraising for the Rotary Foundation helped us secure the global grant for the project,” Brown said. “Our club was also responsible for providing $18,000 in new money to the Rotary Foundation Annual Fund – Share, but the total Rotary Foundation funds made available for the project from the District and Rotary International totaled nearly $67,000.”

Brown also noted the significant cooperation among the various clubs that are working together to complete the project.

“The Dublin Central, Ireland, club was fundraising for a water project, so it made sense for us to come along beside them for the sanitation portion,” he said. “Working together with clubs from across the globe for a project of this magnitude has demonstrated for our club the significance of Rotary, not only in our community, but everywhere.”

Thomasville Rotary President Marta Jones-Turner added that this project is a significant accomplishment for all the clubs involved.

“This $36,000 allocation of District Designated Funding is the second largest for our district this year and resulted along with other donations in making almost $67,000 available for the project,” she said. “It is by far the largest grant our club has received in recent memory and the amount of funding provided speaks to the important nature of the work and the thoughtful planning by all involved. Joe has been working on our portion of the project for more than a year so seeing it all come to fruition is gratifying for our club.”

The clubs will come together this summer at the Olmapinu School to celebrate completion of the facilities. Other clubs participating are Rotary Club of Kitengela, Kenya; Rotaract Club of Kitengela, Kenya; Rotary Club of Athi River, Kenya; and Rotary Club of Dublin Central, Ireland. The clubs are working with Light of Maasai, a not-for-profit organization that supports the Maasai Tribe, on the build.

Rotary is dedicated to causes that build international relationships, improve lives, and create a better world to support peace efforts and end polio forever. One of the major focus areas in this mission is providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programs – all basic necessities for a healthy environment and a productive life. With WASH programs like this, Rotary mobilizes resources, forms partnerships, and invests in infrastructure and training that yield long-term change.