AQUABOXES: OVER 1,075 DELIVERED 

In 2000 the Rotary Club of Conwy Valley, under President Cath Roberts, decided to make Aquaboxes their objective for the year, and to fill as many as possible.

As you know, each Aquabox is filled with humanitarian aid, and sent to areas of need, where the box is then turned into a water filtration unit capable of purifying 1,100 litres of water.

Although the club had filled a couple of boxes previously, this was to be a major project.  Little did the club know just how major.  Cath organised the task on an industrial scale, and her garage became the focal point for deliveries of items such as clothes, tools, household items and toiletries, all donated locally from in and around the Conwy Valley.  Regular trips were made by club members to the Aquabox Centre in Derbyshire, to deliver full boxes and collect empty ones.

Over time, Cath enlisted the help of local businesses and organisations, securing donations and involving several local schools in filling the boxes.  For example, Eglwysbach School were filling three to four boxes a year for which they received a commendation from the club.

In 2006, the club received a generous donation of $2000 from the Rotary Club of Sedro Woolley, Washington State, after a member of Conwy Valley Rotary Club visited their club and told them about their Aquabox scheme.  The donation was used to purchase four Aqua30s, which were tracked to Uganda for use in hospitals and schools.

Each Aquabox is numbered and can be tracked, and so far the Conwy Valley Rotary Club boxes have been dispatched to Ghana and Sierra Leone.  During the Asian Tsunami disaster, several boxes left Eglwysbach bound for Sri Lanka, and during the present crisis in Haiti following the earthquake, and more recently the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Aquaboxes have been part of the relief programme.

With 50 more boxes delivered the club has surpassed its target of 1,000, the sums are staggering; the Conwy Valley Rotary Club has provided tons of warm clothing for adults and children, toiletries, household items, tools and sundries to people in need.  The main number to consider is the 1,182,500 litres of purified water the club has provided to disaster areas.

Over the ten years during which Rotarian Cath Roberts has been involved with the Aquabox scheme, she has been awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship, a Certificate of Merit and a Community Award from her own club. 

At the beginning of this year, the Conwy Valley Rotary Club achieved their goal of over 1,000 Aquaboxes and will continue to supply for the foreseeable future.

To appreciate the scale of this, picture something about the size of a 42 ton truck, and add a bit more!!!