Ngao Foundation founder Anthony Richard Hulula addresses New Ulm Rotary Club on the importance of accessing clean water in developing regions of Kenya.

NEW ULM – The New Ulm Rotary Club welcomed guest speaker Anthony Richard Hulula to Tuesday’s meeting.

Hulula is a fellow Rotarian from Kenya who in 2012, founded the Ngao Foundation. The goal of Ngao is to empower communities in Kenya by fostering sustainable development through community development.

Hulula said the word “Ngao” is an acronym for Noticeable, Growth, Aligned, Opportunities, but it also means “shield” in Swahili.

“We are shielding young people from the dangers of life,” he said. “We protect them and provide them with their need, whether that is education, food, or shelter.”

Ngao operates multiple programs for education, food & nutrition, recovery services, mentorships and safe water programs.

Hulula said the foundation’s education centers can provide primary education, secondary education, technical and vocation training.

Through the foundation, they are able to feed 350 kids every day when school is in session and every weekend when not in session.

However, Hulula said all of the foundation’s work is only possible with access to clean water.

“There is nothing you can do without water,” he said. “Nothing can be built or expanded upon without water infrastructure.”

Hulula said in the United States, most people have access to running water in their own homes. However, this type of infrastructure is not available in parts of Kenya. There are thousands of families without direct access to clean and safe water. Many people rely on seasonal streams and rainwater harvesting for water. Many would travel long distances to collect water.

He said this was an unreliable system, as many streams will dry up seasonally. The water can also be unsafe, leading to contamination or waterborne diseases. The work of seeking out clean water also takes away from educational opportunities. Hulula said children will sometimes miss school if they need to fetch water.

Hulula is seeking support for a water project to enhance access to clean water and safe water system for the Kibera Community near Nairobi, Kenya. The project has three components: drilling a borehole, building a solar pumping system and installing a water tower. This project would benefit over 1,500 community members and as many as 3,000 neighboring residents.

With access to clean and safe water, the community would become self-reliant and increase its capacity. Hulula said there was also potential to expand agriculture.

Hulula said the total project cost is $39,828, the majority of which has been raised. He was seeking support from other Rotary groups to raise the remaining funds.

Hulula was invited to speak in New Ulm by New Ulm Rotary member Renee Retzlaff, who is a member of Ngao’s board of trustees. Retzlaff said she became a sponsor after visiting the foundation and being impressed with the technical education program.

Retzlaff said Hulula will be back in New Ulm next week. He will give a further talk on the foundation at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, at the Junique Center on 125 S. Broadway. The talk is free and open to the public.