Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and currently Administrator of the United Nations Development Program took time out of her busy international schedule for a private meeting with Adrian Brewer, CEO of the Isle of Wight based International charity The Roll out the Barrell (RoTB) Trust.
Amongst the many subjects discussed in relation to the situation in various parts of the world were the sanitation and water problems for nearly 3 billion people, varying from not having any facilities and supply at all, to the difficulties for women and children having to collect water in inadequate dirty containers from distances as far as 10 miles from their homes.
Today and everyday women in South Africa walk the equivalent of 16 times to the moon and back just to collect enough water for their familes.
Helen Clark, reputed by Forbes magazine to be the 20th most powerful women in the world, offered to advance the use of the Rotary Water Barrel through agencies of the UN which the ROTB Trust already supply independently to numerous communities around the world.
She said:
‘The importance of women and children having sufficient clean potable water and adequate sanitation cannot be over emphasised, it affects their health, education and general well being.
“We need to work together, the NGO’s, agencies. charities and governments to ensure sustainable avenues of aid to improve the health and welfare of women and children around the world.”
Adrian Brewer added:
“In the 21st century water and sanitation must be the moral imperative if we are ever to help those communities lift themselves out of incomprehensible poverty. Tto prevent desease and improve infant mortality, they need sustainable solutions, not just handouts.
“One way we can move this forward is to build a strong base here on the Isle of Wight and from there move on and be recognised on the world stage. We would welcome volunteers with varied experience to help with these problems which are not going to go away on their own.”
Adrian and Helen are expecting to meet up again to review the situation and how the RoTB Trust can become part of the solution.
