8/17/2009 Lauren Shaw, The Cambodian Water Crisis
Sergeant at Arms
==============
Jeff Jolicoeur was our Sergeants of Arms today. Thanks Jeff!!!!!
Greeter
======
Lucille Zelenkewich served as Greeter today. Next week's greeter for the August 24th meeting will be Kim Hawkes.
50/50 Tickets
===========
Gary Hammond sold $95 worth of 50/50 tickets. Tom Barton won $48. Tom will sell tickets next week. Seth Sherwood won 10 free tickets to the next 50/50 drawing .
World Service Cup
================
The donations for this month's World Service Cup will go to acquire school backpacks with anti domestic violence themes for kids.
Fined for pictures in the Paper
========================
There were no pictures in the paper last week.
Cell Phones
==========
A $10.00 fee for cell phone ringing continues for the 2008-2009 Club year. No fines assessed today.
On Leave
========
Cynthia Corbin.
World Service Cups
================
The World Service cups for this month will be determined next week.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
=======================
David Geller introduced Theresa Macklin, President of the Sunrise Club, Al Feather from the Farmington Club and ADG, and Cliff Hannon from the Sunrise Club and ADG.
What can you do?
==============
* Tell Board Members what you are passionate about for community projects
* Tell the program committee about interesting speakers/topics you would like to listen to
* Be involved, join a committee
* Be active
* Be positive
Happy Dollars
===========
As previously announced, and in deference to today's speaker, there were no Happy Dollars today.
Announcements:
=======================
Theresa Macklin shared that t P.E.T.S., she and Sarah discussed the possibility of participating in a youth exchange program through Rotary. This led to a discussion with Al Feather, ADG and member of the Farmington Rotary Club, who is helping to make this a reality for our area. Al then shared an overview of the program and indicated that the student who will be in the area for the next 12 months is Anita Diaz from La Plata, Argentina. She will be attending Winslow High School and Al indicated that he is looking for some families in Winslow who would be willing to host Anita during part of the upcoming year. Interested individuals can contact Theresa, Sarah, or Al.
Upcoming Speaker Schedule:
=======================
August 24, 2009 F. Lee Bailey, Esq.
August 31, 2009 Kara Kugelmeyer, Thorndike Press
September 7, 2009 Labor Day (no meeting)
September 14, 2009 Steve Erario, Mid-Maine Sustainability Coalition
September 21, 2009 Lauri LaChance, Maine Development Foundation
September 28, 2009 Tom McAdam, Kennebec Behavioral Health
October 5, 2009 International Woodfuels
Waterville Rotary Club Web Site
============================
http://www.clubrunner.ca/waterville
Today's Program: Water for Cambodia (Lauren Shaw, Assistant Professor, Emerson College and Filmmaker)
Lauren Shaw is a local resident (Great Pond) and for the past 30+ years has been involved with film and photography. She has an MFA in Photography from the Rhode Island School of Design and is an Assistant Professor at Emerson College. She has received numerous grants and id co-founder of New England Women in Photography. Her photography has been on display all over the world.
Lauren shared information on her Maine involvement and the film Maine Women. She then discussed the evolution of the movie Drop in the Bucket, which was shown to the group today. Specifically, the idea came when she was visiting Cambodia several years ago and discovered the devastation that had been inflicted on that country by the Khmer Rouge regime and its leader, Pol Pot. This experience led her to start looking for a way to merge social activism with her art, and this movie was the start of that effort. With respect to the inhabitants of Cambodia, the effects of the Pol Pot regime led to the destruction of the country's infrastructure, including the health care system and the availability of clean water. The impact has had significant effects on the population's health and mortality rates. The film Drop in a Bucket was her effort to document the issues Cambodia's people face and bring an awareness to this country.
The group then viewed the 20 minute film which was shown at the Maine International Film Festival this year. A Q & A session followed:
Q. Back in history what did these people do for water?
A. There was an infrastructure before the Khmer Rouge. The genocide inflicted by this regime destroyed that and eliminated access to health care and clean water. Currently, the government has some corruption and therefore it is difficult to make progress in resolving the issues documented in the film.
Q. Is water quality sufficient with the new wells?
A. It is when the water is tested and the wells are maintained. The biggest issue in the region is arsenic contamination and finding well that are not contaminated. Regarding maintaining the wells, education is the biggest issue.
Q. What is the population growth rate?
A. Lauren did not know.
Q. Who is Mickey Sampson?
A. A biology professor from the University of Indiana who came to Cambodia for a semester and stayed on to help the country to recover from the effects of the genocide. He founded Resource Development Inc., the nonprofit which is installing the wells in the country's villages for $300 each and also taught individuals how to test water. He has made a significant contribution to the effort. Unfortunately, earlier this year, Mickey died of a massive heart attack at 43 yoa.
Q. How deep are the wells?
A. About 100 feet.
Q. What is contaminating the water?
A. Bacteria and arsenic.
Q. What is the infant mortality rate?
A. 60%. Lauren wasn't sure what they are doing to insure that the infrastructure keeps up with population growth once the things are put in place that will improve the death and infant mortality rates.
Q. How is it that so many in the film can speak English?
A. These were the educated individuals involved with the efforts to resolve the issues. English was a rarity among the population visited.
Q. What is the nature of the civil rights violations?
A. There are currently trials being conducted at the Hague, however, she was not optimistic about how effective they will be. She shared that there needs to be efforts to eliminate corruption in the government so that efforts to resolve the health care and water issues can proceed.
After this remarkable presentation, Sarah presented Lauren with a Rotary Four Way Test keychain with the thanks of the club.