A Chatham Rotarian has travelled to Africa to see first hand how some of the world’s poorest people live without clean water and sanitation.

With this in mind Euan has journeyed to Burkina Faso in West Africa with WaterAid to see what the charity is doing to help them.

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world. Life expectancy is 51.4 and more than five million people there don’t have access to safe water, and 12 million don’t have a safe place to go to the toilet.

WaterAid started work in Burkina Faso in 2000 and has so far helped more than 37,000 people in the country gain access to safe water and more than 32,000 gain access to sanitation.

Speaking before the trip, Euan said: “I think seeing the poverty first-hand will be very hard to deal with - but I am looking forward to the trip and to bringing home my experience to show other people. I really want Rotary to make a difference and help people to improve their lives.”

Euan visited urban slums in the capital Ouagadougou and will meet communities in a rural area in the Balé province in Western Burkina Faso. He also visited families in their homes to experience the reality of day-to-day life without access to clean water.

He also visited go to communities where projects are in place and find out the difference that clean water, sanitation and hygiene education makes to communities.

Euan also met with families and schools and talked with local officials to get a real insight into how it has changed their lives for the better.

At the end of his trip he visit his opposite number, incoming District Governor Simon Kafando, in the Rotary Club in Ouagadougou before returning home to embark on his new role and start his fund-raising efforts.