We are thrilled to have formed a partnership with Holland Rotary Club and After Hours Rotary Club, both of Holland, MI, Cedar Springs Rotary, District 6290, Boulder Rotary, and WEHOP (Water, Environmental, and Humanitarian Outreach Projects). These incredibly generous Rotary clubs have committed $15,000 to our Mni Wiconi (Water is Life) Connection program.
For generations, the Oglala Lakota Sioux living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation have struggled to have access to clean water for drinking, cooking, bathing and washing.
Today, it is estimated that there are between 250 and 400 families on the reservation who struggle to obtain water.
HOW WE ARE ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM:
Running Strong is helping to bring clean, running water to all of Pine Ridge by connecting families to the Oglala Sioux Rural Water Supply System main service line which runs through the reservation. This costly connection can often require digging hundreds of feet of trench line from the road to the home, laying hundreds of feet of pipe, installing water connections, and finally adding septic systems. It can be daunting, but it is SO needed for so many.
WE NEED TO HELP FAMILIES LIKE HAROLD’S
Among those who we recently helped not only get running water, but also provided with a septic system, is Harold.
Harold is a 74-year-old Lakota elder of the Wounded Knee District who had spent the last eight years getting water from a nearby church and looking for resources to secure running water for his home. Through our Mni Wiconi campaign, we were able to install a 250-foot line from his home, providing him with all the water he needs.
“It’s such a basic thing, and a lot of people can’t believe how many in Indian Country don’t even have running water,” says Ken Lone Elk, our water coordinator on the reservation. “But when you dig for a connection and hook up a family with running water for a first time, you’re creating hope. You’re changing their lives.”
Running Strong is very appreciative of the partnership with Holland Rotary Club and After Hours Rotary Club, both of Holland, MI, Cedar Springs Rotary, District 6290, Boulder Rotary, and WEHOP (Water, Environmental, and Humanitarian Outreach Projects).
