Water for Brookside A Community Service Project

of the

Rotary Club of Loyola HeightsDistrict 3780, Quezon City, the Philippines

Nilo V. RapistaPresident

Serving to bring hope…

St. Ignatius de Loyola

Brookside: A Success Story

in Community Building

Brookside was conceptualized in 2003 as a 3-yr Community Service project. It was a joint venture between a group of Fransiscan nuns who donated the initial land and Gawad Kalinga, a secular organization, whose expertise is the construction of low cost housing for the poor. The Rotary Club of Loyola Heights vowed to undertake the raising of funds for the construction of 100 homes for the poor culminating in the centennial year of Rotary. The initial phase of the project was completed from funds donated by clubs from District 3780 and other local and foreign Rotary clubs. As the public became aware of the project, non-government organizations both local and foreign came forward to donate funds for more houses. The first 100 homes were completed one year ahead of schedule in June 2004. By the end of RY 2004-05, 223 homes, a 2-sty multipurpose building, a 6-classroom school house, a chapel and an audio visual library have been built. An adult and pediatric Anti-TB program benefiting 200+persons was also completed.

Pres Nilo Rapista, PP Mon Soriano and PP Bobby Bolanos posing in front of the first five of 223 homes built at Brookside from July 2003 to the present. At right are the latest five units built from donations

from the Rotary Club of Luray, Virginia, USA.

Barangay Brookside: Because it is a squatter colony, the local government unit have not placed any importance to road improvement into and out of this village. Hence it is dusty during the dry months and muddy during the rainy season.

Gathering water in Brookside

Water is gathered plastic containers from artesian wells by children who walk quite a distance for it.

Portion of the shanty town not yet reached by the housing project.

As you can see, water is kept in plastic containers after being gathered from a artesian well quite some distance away. The water is not potable.

The children of Brookside

Children play in front of the flags

of donor countries to Brookside and at the basketball

court in front to the

school house and

chapel.

What we are doing now.

There are several activities that are on going in the community. The beneficiaries continue to receive guidance and values

formation from the Franciscan SistersA primary school run by the nuns teaches the children of the

poor from grades 1 to 6. There is also livelihood training and skill manpower pooling to

provide alternative sources of livelihood for interested beneficiaries.

A micro-financing program to fund small entrepreneurs is being finalized for implementation.

A tutorial program involving students from several private schools is ongoing.

As the Brookside community continues to grow, the need for safe drinking water is becoming more and more apparent. Cases of diarrhea and intestinal diseases continue to rise especially during the rainy season. A proper water distribution and filtration system is necessary to safeguard the health of these 200+ families.

Can you help us?

We need your help