TRF Trustee Chair
Since 2013, The Rotary Foundation has invested more than $230 million to support thousands of water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives. Behind these numbers is Rotary’s unique approach. Rather than offering one-time fixes, we train communities to manage systems for generations, moving beyond charity to lasting change. Erica Gwynn, manager of Rotary’s water, sanitation and hygiene area of focus, shares her perspective:
I have worked with hundreds of members, providing technical support to improve the sustainability and impact of their projects. During site visits, I am struck not only by their dedication but by how far-reaching their impact truly is — oftentimes in ways no one anticipated.
In northern Uganda for RI work, I met a Rotary member who had been a child soldier in the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army and escaped. During the conflict, he said, schools and healthcare facilities became places of refuge. Years later, after joining Rotary, he wanted to give back. He volunteered to improve water and sanitation in those same schools and facilities, which were once again centres of refuge — this time for the health, safety, and vitality of the entire community.
In Maharashtra, India, I witnessed how our Programs of Scale grant initiative, Partners for Water Access and Better Harvests in India, is bringing irrigation to a traditional farming region that gave women a voice. Though the women couldn’t own land, the water project enabled them to engage in silviculture, or care for forests, and other income-generating activities. They became knowledgeable about farming techniques, increasing their economic agency and dignity.
It’s no coincidence that water challenges are most acute in areas affected by conflict. In Haiti, I have seen how these projects are central to rebuilding resilience in communities recovering from instability and violence. I see the same theme playing out everywhere: These projects deliver so much more than clean water. They boost Rotary’s other areas of focus and are a source of safety, pride and hope.
Indeed, water projects improve health, foster economic opportunity, and amplify education through increased school attendance, especially for girls who no longer spend hours fetching water. And they fight poverty.
By giving to our Foundation and volunteering in water projects, you are part of this success. Everything we do opens an opportunity for someone, somewhere.
Holger Knaack
TRF Trustee Chair