The Rotary Club of Rancho Cotati has helped many within its local community but not many may realize the milestones the club has made abroad. Particularly in Kenya, Africa.
Two years ago, the club began building a clinic in Kenya and in the process, Rotarians realized the need for local villagers in Kitwii, Kenya, to obtain water.
Kenya has suffered extreme drought conditions for several years and women and children walked for miles to get fresh water. “It’d take them half a days walk and the other half to carry it back,” said Mary Graves, Rotary Club of Rancho Cotati president. “We were shocked how far they have to walk to get fresh water and realized they needed a better way and we wanted to help.”
Collaborating with the Rotary Club of Parklands Nairobi, the chief of Kitwii village and other decision-makers, plans were approved to build eight water wells in the Kangundo region.
Graves is excited. Five wells have officially been completed this month. Graves said originally, the plan was to bore a 160-foot hole with a pump but since they have no electricity, she said,” It seemed more logical to make smaller wells with manual pumps. Now children are pumping water, it’s just phenomenal.”
Once the other three wells are completed, Graves says the Rotarians will take on a new project. This time they’ll have a little more help from local sources.
For the Kenya project, Mountain Shadows Middle School, Ursuline and Newman high schools held “Kenya Nights,” a game night to raise funds for the project. SSU Roteract club is also involved and Rancho Cotate High School is jumping on board for the next project. “It’s contagious,” said Graves.
“Some may think it’s a one-way gift helping people in Africa, but to see how loving and caring the people of Africa are regardless of their dire circumstances, they are giving to us, too, by showing us the meaning and depth of life.”
With three more water pumps for Kitwii on the horizon, Rotarians and everyone involved will have helped provide fresh clean water to 15,000 families in the Kangundo region.

Dream One World has a project
of their own

Dream One World, based in Santa Rosa with ties to Rohnert Park, has taken on a major project in Uganda, Africa, west of Kenya. Founder and Director of Dream One World Kathy Chism said she’s thrilled the project of building a
school after two years of fund raising, finally broke ground just this month. “Once we had $800, we wanted to get started. Over there, $800 goes a long way and with it, bricks, sand, and cement were purchased to begin laying the foundation.
“It’s very exciting it’s beginning after waiting for so long. Unfortunately, we started working on funding right as the recession started so the timing wasn’t great.”  But Dream One World managed and they have around 7,000 bricks to begin a project that will take “years of work,” said Chism.
The project is the creation of an elementary school built in a circular formation with a library at the center. Classroom blocks will encircle the library and eventually, dormitories and other facility buildings will form an outside circle surrounding the schoolrooms and the center library.
Donor names will be inscribed on the foundation bricks around each building and each building will don a name; Forgiveness, Love, Acceptance, Gratitude, Peace, etc. Chism said it’s meant to act as a theoretical “hug” for each child entering the facility.
But Chism didn’t have this vision all by herself.
In 2007, a gentleman named Edward Edmary Mpagi contacted Dream One World asking for help in fulfilling his dream of building a school for his village. Mpagi’s story is quite extraordinary. He was imprisoned on death row for 18 years for “killing” a man who was later found to be alive. While in prison, he taught inmates how to read and write. Once found innocent and released, he focused on healing his village and helping the innumerable orphans of AIDS victims, death row inmates, and children affected by rebel activities. It was his dream and Chism’s vision of helping him that made it come to fruition. 
Mpagi, the project’s manager, along with assistant manager, Ronald Katongole, helped secure the land near their village of Kyamabaale in Kasenge in the Wakiso District. Even though Kasenge is remote, unlike Kyamabaale, it has access to power, clean piped water, and a fair road, making it accessible to teachers from Kampala. 
“These children are orphans and their government isn’t helping them at all,” said Chism. “Nobody is helping them except us and they have nothing - most will only get one meal in a 24-hour period.”
Upon the completion of the project, the dormitories will provide a safe place for these children to live, become educated, and make a difference for their people.
“But right now, we need bricks,” said Chism. And it doesn’t take much. Only $10 purchases 90 bricks. She realizes the plans for the encircled haven will take years of work but hopes to raise enough funding to keep the project steadily going strong. For more information on donating, go to dreamoneworld.org or call 575-7707.