Project Managers Without Borders (PMWB) has proudly partnered with the Rotary Club of Centennial, Colorado, a not-for-profit organization like PMWB to create a solution for the WaterRico Project. After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, the citizens of a municipality impacted severely by the devastation, Moca, needed help in obtaining reliable, clean drinking water.
The WaterRico Project brought access to reliable, clean drinking water to Moca by using a hollow membrane technology water filtration system. We carefully listened to the needs and gathered information from the city and mayor of Moca. In 2018, the Rotary Club with help from PMWB came up with a solution to the city’s problem and travelled to Moca in November to complete the first phase of the project.
Phase 1
Below is an image of the filtration system. It consists of a hollow membrane water filters based on dialysis technology that uses small micro tubes to filter out deadly bacteria and parasites. The water filter is located between two buckets; the first bucket has a special screen that removes large debris, such as leaves and sand. The water then travels through the hollow membrane filter removing bacteria and parasites. Finally, once filtered, the water pours into the bottom bucket which acts as a holding reservoir until ready for use through a spigot. With proper care and maintenance these filters are projected to last 10 years, are easy to operate, and light for travel.
At the beginning of November, the Rotary Club of Centennial took a five day trip to Puerto Rico with supplies to build 100 filters. Three days were used for building the filters and two days were for training each filter user on how to properly clean and care for their filter. The Rotary Club of Moca was a great resource in helping complete this phase of the project. The people of Moca assisted by translating the two day trainings, storing supplies, and providing insight as to who the filters could most benefit.
Plans for Phase 2
After 100 filters were created and distributed, the next phase is to implement 1,000 more filters in 2019. This project is drawing the community’s attention and the community is experiencing effective solutions to their water problems.
PMWB’s WaterRico goal for the 2019 year is to gather all information that happened in 2018 and strategically plan how the 2019 year can be the most beneficial for the people of Moca. Stay tuned for what PMWB and the Rotary Club does in 2019 to make the world a better place through project management.
