B.R.E.W. Supports WASRAG 
A very significant event during this year's Rotary Convention in Toronto, Canada, was a reception at the George Brown Culinary College hosted by the Rotary Fellowship Group - Beers Rotarians Enjoy Worldwide (B.R.E.W.).  A good time was had by all, and a very generous donation of $3,500 was made by B.R.E.W. to WASRAG.  Pictured is Moses Aryee, B.R.E.W. Chair, handing the check to WASRAG Chair Emeritus Ron Denham.  

The funds being donated will serve to fund Rotary club projects that have been technically reviewed by WASRAG.  BREW has agreed to donate 25% of its revenue to WASRAG, some $6000 over the past two years.

To learn more about the B.R.E.W. Fellowship (and maybe join!) go to  https://www.rotarybrew.org/
End Polio with Clean Water 
The spread of polio is directly related to poor water and sanitation. To help in Rotary's goal to eradicate Polio, WASRAG is holding its  First World Polio Day Competition, focused on recognizing projects that improve the quality of water and/or the level of awareness of it in YOUR Community.

There are two prizes:
- $500 US for the Best Project (one with the most impact)
- $500 US for the Most Innovative Project

Use your imagination! The bottom line is to educate your community on the importance of protecting its water sources. Deadline for entries is December 1, 2018. Get more information on the competition by going to  https://wasrag.org/page/world-polio-day
Cleaning the Rivers of the World 
The Environmental Sustainability Rotarian Action Group (ESRAG) and the Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (WASRAG) are both supporting the Cleaning the Rivers of the World project of the Rotary Club of South Ukriah, which was featured in the September 2018 Rotarian.
 
They are encouraging Rotarians from October 24 - 28, 2018 to clean up a river, beach or lake in your area. Get the community involved.  Follow the activity on their Facebook page.
100,000 Children by the end of 2019 
Rotary clubs and districts in five countries have already pledged their support for Operation Toilets, as it undertakes the ambitious plan to bring water, sanitation and hygiene to 100,000 children.  
 
This initiative, spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Box Hill Central, Melbourne, Australia, recently released their website that provides information on past, current, and upcoming projects at  http://www.operationtoilets.org.au  While they have many partners already, they are looking for more to expand the impact. 

WASH Innovation Challenge 
Hand Washing + Soap = Saved Lives
If it's simple in theory, why is it so hard to practice?

The UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia has partnered with the NGO development organization BRAC has initiated a competition with $5,000 in prize money. The deadline to apply is September 10, 2018.

They are looking for innovative solutions from the eight countries in South Asia that can be implemented at scale. 

To learn more visit  https://www.washinnovation.org/
Latrines of Hope 
District 9101 with the construction and renovation of five washroom units, comprising of 19 latrines, had a significant impact on the schools and market of Dialakorodjii, Mali.

A Headmaster of one of the schools involved said, "The renovation will increase the use of latrines, especially by girls. Teachers now have a decent place to go. Thank You Rotary, Thank You WASRAG!"

The project also involved installing a washroom unit, of four latrines, for the local market. This made the market more viable for the vendors and convenient for the public.

Pure Water for Haiti 
The Rotary Club of Vermillion, OH has already successfully completed a Global Grant that brought training and 324 bio-sand water filters to  76 schools in Mirebalais, Haiti area.

Following the success of the initial project all 63 clubs of District 6600, where the Vermillion club is located, agreed to support a more ambitious project. With some momentum, District 6290 and other clubs agreed to participate in a multi-District, multi-phase Global Grant project to bring bio-sand water filters to 1,100 households in Limonade, Haiti.

Bringing Clean Water to Fiji School 
Recently, five members of the Rotary Club of South Launceston, from Tasmania, Australia, spent 15 days in Fiji building a clean, sustainable water system for the Natusara Primary School.

An excellent article, titled " Rotary Club of South Launceston volunteers assist Fijian school through latest world community service project.," appeared in the Tasmanian, Australia newspaper, The Examiner. 
Making Some Progress with Handwashing 
The USAID newsletter Water Currents, recently summarized the results of The State of Handwashing in 2017, published by the Global Handwashing Partnership.

Research indicates that deaths due to unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene have decreased by 25 percent. 

However,  researchers estimate  that inadequate hand hygiene still results in nearly 300,000 deaths annually, with the majority of deaths occurring among children younger than five years old. 
Goal 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation 
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 is to "Ensure access to water and sanitation for all."
 
They have developed a website to track the progress in obtaining their goal.  The interactive website  is an excellent resource on the many aspects of providing clean water and sanitation to the world.

Related to the topic of access to water, NASA recently released a study indicating that " Water Shortages to be Key Environmental Challenge of the Century",  particularly in India, Middle East, Australia, and California. 
WASRAG Newsletter On-line Archive  
Back issues of the WASRAG Newsletter are stored at http://www.wasrag.org/
Calendar Of Event  
Sept 24 - Oct 5, 2018 - Ceramic Water Filter Course - Dodgeville, WI USA

Oct 6, 2018 - WASH Symposium - Denver, CO, USA
WASH and Health Care Facilities

Oct 24 - Oct 28, 2018 - River Clean-Up Challenge 

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

Nov 10, 2018 - Global Run 4 Water - Cary, NC, USA
https://www.rotarydistrict7710rotaryglobalrun4water.com/

Dec 1, 2018 - DEADLINE for entering the World Polio Day Competition

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.