Holland Rotary helps Ethiopian town

A plan to build the first sanitary toilets in a an Ethiopian town got its start on an elevator in Montreal and is being funded by Holland Rotarians.

It all started when Holland resident Gary Boggle shared an elevator ride with Genre Bekele of the Addis Ababa-West Rotary Club. Bogle used to teach music in Ethiopia. Bekele and Bogle put their heads together and created a project to help Bekele's hometown, Gore, Ethiopia, install 10 in-ground sanitary toilets (sometimes called Turkish-style toilets) which will be open to the public. The facility, which will be at the town's Saturday marketplace, will include sinks, electric lights and showers, according to the plan. Another element of the plan is including a rainwater harvesting process.

The project, which will cost $58,000, according to a letter Bogle shared with The Sentinel, was approved this month by Rotary International.

"Now the hard part begins," Bogle wrote. "Transferring funds, building, monitoring, sweating, completing and paying."