Local Rotarians were struck by the hardship of Dominican Republic residents on their first trip to the country in 2012.
Raw sewage was dumped in the streets. People were sharing contaminated drinking water with cattle while children bathed and played nearby. Students had to leave school midday because they didn't have access to clean water for lunch.
Michelle Serodino Hunter rinses in a water station built at a school in the town of Juancho by the local Rotary club. Rotarians are working on an initiative to provide clean water to Dominican residents (Photo by Catherine Colby).
Children wash their hands at a water station in the Dominican Republic provided by the Chattanooga Rotary Club. The club is working on an initiative to provide clean water to Dominican residents (Photo by Catherine Colby). 
Catherine Colby, back right, poses with a group in the Dominican Republic during a recent trip. Colby and other rotarians are working on an initiative to provide clean water to Dominican residents (Photo by Michelle Serodino Hunter). An ongoing effort to correct the issue has provided clean water to thousands of Dominicans and is helping the United Nations meet its goal of providing the necessity to the world's population.
"We were looking for something that would make an impact," Rotary Club of Chattanooga Executive Director Erin Kelly said. "The people in [the Dominican] have had a lot of hardship, and this will give them the tools they need for the future. It's a good way for us to help."
Members of the Rotary Club of Chattanooga returned last week from their most recent trip, where they provided educational lessons and checked on previous water stations they had installed.
The Rotary Club leads projects both locally and worldwide. Last year's local projects included the addition of the Miracle League and a project with Erlanger Medical Center to better connect rural school nurses to pediatricians. However, the Dominican project is a source of pride for the club, which is aiming is to eradicate the problem, Rotarian Cindy Todd said.
The national Rotary Foundation gave $20 million in grants to water and sanitation projects last year and will continue to invest in the project. They've embraced the U.N. goal of providing clean, accessible water to every person by 2030. To date, local Rotarians have worked in 10 communities, providing upwards of 8,000 people access to clean drinking water.
They have made the Dominican project an annual trip. The initial trips consisted of installing water stations in small villages, usually at local schools, where community members could come to get drinking water and wash their hands.
"Now we want to focus on education and sanitation," Rotarian Catherine Colby said. "We have already given them clean water, but sanitation isn't easy."
Colby is an expert in the area and helps lead the rotary trips. She is an independent consultant that focuses on community development in Latin America. She and her daughter took part in the most recent educational trip, where they showed residents the negative effects of germs and how easily they spread. They also taught schoolchildren about the water cycle and other environmental education lessons.
Local Rotarians plan to make another trip in the next 12 months and are aiming to expand the program. Through the trips, they've learned locals need EMT and search and rescue training. The local club is currently working on a plan to provide Dominican residents with the proper training.
Contact staff writer Mark Pace at mpace@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @themarkpace and on Facebook at ChattanoogaOutdoorsTFP.