WASRAG Newsletter - March 2019
Enter the World Water Day Competition - it's not too late!
Did your club do something special for World Water Day or will you be doing something in the next month? Check out the details on this year's World Water Day Contest.

World Water Day was on March 22, but the closing date for entries is May 1, 2019.
Are you New to, or Experienced in WASH?
This year, the WASRAG World Water Summit starts into its second decade of providing Rotarians with a program that is a mix of international speakers to enlighten and energize, to round table discussions that provide practical solutions and new contacts.

You will have opportunities to attend breakout sessions on Preparing for a WASH project, Doing the Actual Planning, Implementation, and Monitoring and Evaluation.
Those new to WASH, will participate in round table discussions on specific topics. Those that are more experienced will have in-depth discussions.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Patrick Moriarty. If you watch the video from his TED-Talk, "It's about the systems, stupid", you know you are in for a treat to hear his address.

Plenary Speaker, Dr. Maria-Elena Figueroa, John Hopkins University, will help us understand the social and cultural factors that impact on safe water, sanitation and hygiene behaviors.

Space is limited, so Register NOW at WWS11
Hamburg BREW Cruise
Something unique this year at the RI Convention is a cruise of the Hamburg Harbor organized by the Beer Rotarians Enjoy Worldwide (BREW) and WASRAG. The cruise happens on Sun. June 2 from 7-9 pm. The $50 USD ticket includes the cruise of Europe's third largest harbor, beer and two sandwiches.

For more details and to order tickets go to Hamburg Harbor Beer and Food Cruise.
Ambitious Goals for WASH in Ethiopia
Rotarians are never shy about taking on large water and sanitation projects. However, there are few that set out a 10 year strategic plan to bring water, sanitation, and hygiene training to over 450 schools and 400,000 students.

The Lake Union Rotary, Seattle, WA and the Rotary Club of Addis Ababa West, Ethiopia, have already completed 26 schools for 35,000 students.

Build a Filter on Your Next Vacation
The Rotary Club of Blowing Rock, NC partnered with Rotary Club of Santiago, Dominican Republic (DR) to bring ceramic water filters to 125 families.

Working with Wine to Water this project has an interesting twist where the Rotarians visit the plant in the DR where they actually make the ceramic filters. The filters can last a life-time if cared for properly. Other Rotary clubs are welcome to visit the DR to make filters for the local people.
Women and Water
In recognition of International Women's Day and World Water Day, USAID has devoted their newsletter to a collection of stories on issues related to water collection and water security related to women. Read the newsletter WASH and Gender

The USAID website is an excellent resource on water and sanitation information. You can also subscribe to their regular newsletters Water Currents and Global Waters.
British Club Supports Kenyan Wells
The Rotary Club of Chippenham, in partnership with six other Rotary Clubs and the Rotary Club of Kisumu worked with the non-profit WellBoring to drill 13 wells for schools in Kisumu, Kenya.

The project was made possible by a $85,000 Global Grant from The Rotary Foundation.
Quebec Rotarians Provide Filters
Canadian Rotarians from the Rotary Clubs of Montreal-Lakeshore, Montreal West and Notre-Dame-de-Grace-Westmount (NDG), and Hawkesbury combined to provide water filters and in some cases toilets for homes in San Antonio Aguas Calientes, Guatemala. To ensure sustainability, the families all agreed to regular payments into a community fund to replace ceramic filters when required.

To learn more read this article in The Suburban.
Villages Water Scarcity Ends
After 20 years, the Reverse Osmosis filtration system in Kainakary Grama Panchayat, India stopped working, sending the village into a acute shortage of potable water. So the Rotary Club of Alleppey East who paid for the Reverse Osmosis plant two decades ago, stepped up and paid for the new Reverse Osmosis plant, plus construction of two water-harvesting plants and repairs to some damaged water pipelines.
One-Size-Fits-All May Not be Appropriate
Engineering for Change provides a number of good articles on sanitation and clean water technology. The article "Are one-size-fits-all metrics for global WASH really appropriate?" questions standardization and encourages metrics from the ground up, based on where they will be implemented. It's an interesting read.
Clean Water by 2030
Rotarians at the Club, District and International level have all made a strong commitment to providing clean water to everyone in the world.

This short video from Rotary International highlights the commitment to meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Clean water for all by 2030, and points viewers to Rotary.org/WASH

Calendar of Events
April 14, 2019 - Walk for Freshwater - CU South Denver, USA

April 26-28, 2019 - Latrine Workshop - Clarkston, MI, USA

May 1, 2019 - DEADLINE for World Water Day Contest

May 28, 2019 - MENSTRUAL HYGIENE DAY
 
2019 ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION - Hamburg, Germany
May 31 -8:00 am - World Water Summit 11 - WASH: Achieving Lasting Impact
June 1 - 8:30 am - WASRAG Annual Meeting - 8:30 -10:00 am
Register here to attend WASRAG Annual General Meeting
Convention Breakout Sessions
June 3 - 1:00 pm - Achieving Lasting Impact from WASH
June 4 - 1:00 pm - Success Stories of WASH in Schools
June 5 - 1:00 pm - Menstrual Hygiene: Manage it Well
In the Hall of Friendship - Visit the WASRAG Booth 4422

Oct 15, 2019 - GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY
 
Oct 24, 2019 - WORLD POLIO DAY

March 22, 2020 - WORLD WATER DAY
To submit stories, videos, and pictures for the WASRAG Newsletter send an email to info@wasrag.org .
The Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (WASRAG) is pleased to consider partnerships with any corporate supporter. Due to the unique attributes of water sources and water provision, acceptance of corporate support does not imply an endorsement of any particular water technology. Rotarians, Rotary clubs, and Rotary partners must evaluate any technology to determine if it is the best solution for the conditions where the program will be implemented. WASRAG can provide guidance about where different technologies work best, but Rotarians and Rotary clubs must make the final decision about how to implement their programs.