Project Hope: Water, Education, and a Bright Future!
In briefAI summary — tap to read
Isaac McNary of the Outreach Program presented Project Tumini (Project Hope), an initiative installing solar-powered water filtration systems in Tanzanian primary schools to provide safe drinking water and improve education outcomes. The organization combines ultraviolet sterilization and ultrafiltration technology to remove 99.9% of biological contaminants, with 31 schools already served representing 24,000 students and dramatic reductions in school absences.
Key takeaways
- The Outreach Program uses a proprietary waterpoint system powered by solar energy that produces 600-1,200 gallons daily and can process 800,000 gallons before requiring major maintenance, with simple daily upkeep that locals can manage.
- Installing safe water systems in schools has reduced student absences by up to 90%, with one school dropping from 250 to 15 absences monthly, directly improving academic performance and long-term community economic outcomes.
- The organization engages volunteers through packaging events and service trips that build lifelong relationships with Tanzanian communities rather than one-time charity, creating sustained commitment to the work.
- Community-led needs assessment is central to their approach—they ask local leaders what they need rather than imposing external solutions, following Rotary principles of sustainable development.
- The Outreach Program offers multiple engagement levels including school sponsorships, monthly donations, volunteer trips, food packaging events, and partnership opportunities with Rotary clubs and churches.
About Isaac McNaryIsaac McNary is Vice President of International Development for the Outreach Program, a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on water, food, medicine, and education in Tanzania. A six-year Rotarian, he is slated to become district governor next year.
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Program: Project Hope: Water, Education, and a Bright Future!
Speaker: Isaac McNary
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Project Tumaini (Project Hope) is a long-term effort by the Outreach Program to install water purification systems into Primary Schools in rural Tanzania. The project provides safe water to a student for a full year for just $2. Over the last three years, the team has installed systems into 31 schools, supplying 24,000 students with safe water. Their current goal is to install systems into 96 primary schools in the Mkalama district to provide another 64,000 students with safe water.
Our speaker, Isaac McNary, is Vice President of International Development for The Outreach Program, a nonprofit organization with a mission to provide safe water, food, medical care, and education to children and those in need at home and abroad. He has been fighting hunger since 2009, when he volunteered for his first packaging event. In that time he has facilitated the packaging of 60 million meals with the help of 150,000 volunteers from across the US. In 2019, Isaac expanded his focus to international safe water issues and has provided access to safe water to over 40,000 people in Africa.
Isaac is also a dedicated Rotarian. He has served as President of his club, Assistant Governor, District PolioPlus Chair, and is currently the District Governor Elect for District 5680 in Kansas and holds the distinction of being the youngest DG in the district's history and the shortest time from joining Rotary to becoming a DG, 7 years and 7 days. He is a member of the Paul Harris Society, PHF +5, and had the honor of having one of his projects featured in the End Polio Now booth at the Rotary International Convention in Houston in 2023.
Members and guests, please welcome Isaac McNary!
To learn more, go to:
https://outreachprogram.org/clean-water/
To donate to the project, visit:
https://outreachprogram.org/2-heart-club/
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http://rotary.cool
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