2018 World Water Day Competition 
The first year of the WASRAG World Water Day Competition was very successful with 22 submissions from Rotary Clubs, Rotaract  Clubs, and Districts. A list of those submitting an entry can be found on the Stories Page.
 
Winning $500 for the Most Innovative Project was the Rotary Club of Suzano, Brazil. They took on a huge project and documented their impact extensively. Read their submission.
 
Winning $500 for the Most Impactful Project was the Rotary Club of de la Piedad, Mexico. They involved over 350 people to clean up one of the most contaminated rivers in Mexico. Read their submission.
2018 RI Convention Highlights WASRAG and Rotary's Water and Sanitation Focus 
   
The Rotary International Convention, hosted in Toronto, Canada, highlighted water and sanitation projects at the Tuesday plenary session. 

Dr. Isis Mejias, WASRAG Ambassador. spoke on the status and issues associated with water, sanitation and hygiene in the world.   Her presentation can be viewed here.

Dr. Jack Guy Lafontant announced the ambitious project to bring clean water to everyone in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. View the Announcement here. 
Bill Boyd completes term as WASRAG Chair 
We said a sad farewell at the WASRAG Annual Meeting.  Bill Boyd stepped down from the role of Chair, having serving the maximum six years (two terms) on the Board.

Bill, a Past Rotary International President, worked tirelessly to establish WASRAG as financially viable and with a strong organizational structure that is seen as a role model for other Rotarian Action Groups. 

One of Bill's largest achievements is forging a strong relationship with Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation.

THANK YOU, Bill
Mike Webb elected WASRAG Chair 
"Build on the foundations of WASRAG laid by Ron Denham, Bill Boyd, and others to ensure continued support for projects and education in the Water and Sanitation area of focus improving the live of those in need," is the goal of Mike Webb, as the new Chair of the WASRAG Board.

Mike has been a Rotarian since 1976 and has served in many roles at the club, district and international level. 

Overflow Crowd attend Annual Meeting 
The little room set aside for Rotary Action Groups was not large enough for the over 90 people who attended the 2018 WASRAG Annual Meeting held in Toronto.

Bill Boyd presented the WASRAG Annual Report that highlighted many of the innovations and successes over the past year, including, but not limited to, the Ambassador Program, a VERY successful World Water Summit 10, the World Water Day Challenge, and expansion of the Professional Services Team. Read the Annual Report to learn more about the many achievements. 

Mike Colasurdo, Treasurer, reported that the organization is in good financial health. The 2017 Profit and Loss and 2017 Balance Sheet are available on the Website.  
WASRAG Newsletter On-line Archive  
Back issues of the WASRAG Newsletter are stored at http://www.wasrag.org/
Calendar Of Event  
Aug 26-31 - World Water Week - Stockholm, Sweden

Sept 24 - Oct 5, 2018 - Ceramic Water Filter Course - Dodgeville, WI USA

Oct 5, 2018 - Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene Symposium - Denver, Colorado

Oct 24, 2018 - River Clean-Up Challenge (Polio Eradication Day)

Oct 29 - Nov 2, 2018 - Water and Health 2018 - Chapel Hill, NC. USA

Nov 10, 2018 - Global Run 4 Water - Cary, NC, USA

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

May 31, 2019 - World Water Summit 11 - Hamburg, Germany
WASH: Achieving Lasting Impact
Become a WASRAG Member
Developing Best Practices guidelines for water, sanitation, and hygiene projects; maintaining the www.WASRAG.org  website; supporting the WASRAG Professional Services Team; and creating this newsletter are some of the benefits of becoming a WASRAG member. 
 
Follow this link to Become a Member.  To  check whether your membership has expired, email Anna Shepherd .

To join the mailing list for this newsletter, follow this link to subscribe.
To submit stories and pictures for the Newsletter email:  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.