Global grant to provide clean water to 1128 families

When we embarked on this project about a year and a half ago...yes, that is hard to believe....Hector Mendoza from the Trujillo Rotary Club and I were approached by representatives from 9 water boards.  The original engineer's cost estimate was $186.000.00.  This was not in my realm of possibility since my largest grant to date...out of over a dozen (counting matching grants) was the latest one of $102,475.00....which except for the monitoring phase is complete. 

 

So we asked for a scaled down version and that estimate was determined to be $125,000.00....and was done a little over a year ago.  We have reached that goal thanks to your support.....in fact, we have raised about $134,000.00 due to some late entries.  In fact, after a recent bid request (one result is in) for the original plan...we are only $22,000.00 short....and that is from a local supplier who has to price out the vast amount of pipeline from PVC companies.  The same companies we have direct bid requests in to now...and are waiting.  Therefore, we are waiting for two things before I close out the fundraising campaign...those two PVC company bids and a meeting with the engineer to discuss what we can accomplish with $134,000.00.  I still have my sights set on the original plan.

 

   In the meantime, the 9 water boards (8 local and one central) have been meeting with us as we are writing the grant.  I am most of the way through writing the grant...I still need to address the scope of the project, the bids, and a lot of MOUS with 9 entities and the health department...all need to be in agreement.  My goal...perhaps a little unrealistic...is to apply by December 5....before, yet more changes to the application process/questions kick in in December.

 

   Enough of that....I was receiving conflicting information at various levels of the grant process and have found one important issue.  As I have expressed in the past, donations to a Global Grant do count towards PH credit but are not credited against annual giving goals...these funds go to Restricted Giving.  The kicker has been the 5% contribution fee.

Some information I had was that this 5% would be a part of the PH credit...but information from RF has told me differently.  The contribution fee does not count towards PH credit...my reaction is "what is the big deal, it is just PH credits" but c'est la vie.  So here's the deal....for every $100 donated, RF wants $5 more for someone to get the full $100 PH credit. So, for example, those hoping to get their full annual $1,000 PH credit, $1,050.00 needs to be contributed to a global grant.  That $1,000.00 credit without the fee becomes $952.38 in PH credits since that is the amount the 5% is figured on...since they will also take the 5% out of the additional donation.

 

   We have been assigned a Global Grant number...it is GG1746751.  PLEASE, do not submit your pledges to RF until the grant is approved...which will probably be after the first of next year.  If you want your contribution to be counted towards your 2016 taxes, you can park it in our tax exempt entity, Hands to Honduras Inc., PO Box 1733, Port Isabel, Texas 78578.

 

    Well, that is enough for now.  I have attached some photos of our new Health worker in Colonia Eduardo Castillo (our last global grant) visiting homes in the community determining ways the families can prevent water borne diseases.

 

   Thanks for your support!!!

 

Tom Plumb, Hands to Honduras, Inc.

Port Isabel, Texas, Rotary Club