Clean Drinking Water for Wat Sri Don Chai School

On Friday 30 October 2026, our President, Dr Jean-Pierre Verbiest, joined Rotarians from Japan and Chiang Mai at Wat Sri Don Chai School in Sarapee District to hand over a new clean drinking water system. Funded by the Rotary Club of Bangkok Foundation and the Rotary Club of Tokyo Shintoshin, with the support of the Rotary Club of Sarapee, the system gives the school's 135 pupils and 18 staff safe water every day, and water to take home to their families.

Twenty-nine Rotarians made the trip: nine from the Rotary Club of Tokyo Shintoshin led by President Koichi Uchikawa, four from our club led by our President, and sixteen from the Rotary Club of Sarapee led by Assistant Governor Krissada Seaoky and President Patcharin Wiangchanok.

School Director Narong Tanyasak received the visitors with representatives of the local government administration, teachers and pupils. The pupils opened the day with a lively Klong Sabat Chai, a classic Thai drum performance, and then surprised Rotarian Toshiyuki Sasagawa of Tokyo Shintoshin with a cake, as the ceremony fell on his birthday.

Wat Sri Don Chai School teaches children from Kindergarten 2 through to Middle School 3 (Grade 9). Until now it has relied on a local municipal well. The water is fine for general use, but its levels of calcium carbonate and dissolved solids are too high for drinking over the long term.

That meant parents had to buy bottled drinking water. In a farming community where money is tight, this was a real burden for families and for the school.

Installed in August 2026, the new reverse osmosis system produces up to 3,000 litres of drinking water a day. Automatic backwash and UV purification keep the water safe, and pupils can now fill bottles to take home for their families.

The equipment comes from a local supplier, who will also provide ongoing maintenance. The pictures below show the school's drinking taps before the project (left) and today (right).

In his message to the ceremony, our President called the project "an outstanding example of the power and effectiveness of Rotary international cooperation". Together, the three clubs identified the need, supervised the technical work and arranged the financing.

He also stressed that good maintenance is the key to lasting success. Filters need regular cleaning and replacement, and schools in Thailand can register a system like this as infrastructure to receive a maintenance budget. The Rotary Club of Sarapee will stay in touch with the school to help keep the system running well.

After the ribbon cutting and an inspection of the system, the school presented souvenirs to every visitor and hosted lunch. The pupils entertained their guests with traditional dances and an Angklung orchestra, a fitting finale to a happy day.

The visit began the evening before in Bangkok, when members of the Rotary Club of Tokyo Shintoshin joined our Halloween Fellowship at Raynue, Gaysorn Amarin, for an official visit and an evening of friendship.