World Toilet Day - November 19 
World Toilet Day is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. currently, 4.5 billion people live without a household toilet that safely disposes of their waste. Sanitation is key to eradicating extreme poverty and reducing waterborne diseases.

To get resources and to learn more about this UN officially designated day visit  http://www.worldtoiletday.info/
WASRAG Board Members Focus on WinS 
Ramesh Aggarwal and Mark Balla, WASRAG Board Directors, have been reviewing the difference toilets and hygiene education are making to schools in India.

The District 3012, Rotary clubs of Delhi Ashoka and Kundii are partnering with the Rotary Club of Box Hill Central, District 9810 through a Rotary Foundation Global Grant to bring new toilets, handwashing stations and hygiene training to 11 schools. 

Read the Facebook posts of Ramesh Aggarwal and Mark Balla to capture the passion of these two individuals to bring WASH in Schools (WinS) and make a difference to these young people, especially young women.

WASH E-Club holds regular Issues Forum 
The District 9980 Rotary E-Club of WASH will be hosting bi-monthly forums presently focused on women and gender issues. These forums allow you to tune in, ask questions and collaborate with wash experts. 

The first WASH and Women Forum was held on September 30, with presenter Dr. Beatrice Chisenga. You can view the program on YouTube by using this link  Designing a Gender Sensitive Community Based WASH Project: The case of the rural hand pump.  

The WASH and Women Forum on November 11, featured Dr. Tiffany Cone presenting on "Gender, Power, and Social Change - Reflections on Teaching at the Asian University for Women in Chittagong, Bangladesh."

You can view all of the WASH e-Clubs programs on Wash e-Club YouTube Channel. What an easy and informative way to get a make-up Meeting.  

To learn about the Club and how to participate in future on-line forums visit Rotary E-Club of WASH Facebook or contact  foster.annette@gmail.com directly to receive connection information.

H2O Provides clean water to a Hospital 
The Rotary clubs Woodside/PortolaValley, San Mateo Sunrise and Peninsula, working with the H2Opendoors organization installed a water purification system for a rural hospital in Nicaragua.  

The SunSpring based water system is a long-term sustainable solution to providing clean water.

The H2O organization is an interesting model for project funding using a Donor Advised Fund, through The Rotary Foundation.



Still Much to Do 
This article from the Dhaka Tribune on "Rohingya camps on the brink of waterborne disease outbreak" documents the severe water and sanitation issues for hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing to Bangladesh from Myanmar. 

Unfortunately, due to war and political strife, refugee camps are established, where they experience  dramatic growth causing poorly planned water and sanitation facilities.


 
Safe Water to Thousands in Uganda 
Two back-to-back water, sanitation, and hygiene projects coordinated by the Rotary Club of Bweyogerere Namboole (E. Uganda, Africa) and the Rotary Club of Bellingham (Washington State, USA) and with two Global Grants from The Rotary Foundation has provided safe drinking water to 16,000 people in Uganda.


We are always looking for stories on Rotarian WASH projects. Send your information and some pictures to info@wasrag.org.
We Are Water Film Festival 
The We are Water Foundation is organizing the fourth international short-film competition. The goal of the festival is to raise awareness of the water problems around the world by the creation of audiovisual pieces that address the issues.

The registration of short films for the festival are available at We Art Water Film Festival until 2 April 2018.

The submissions from around the world need to be based on the issue 'water and sanitation' should be from one to three minutes long and they can be one of three categories: fiction, documentary or animation. The participants in each one of these categories will compete for a 3,000 € award. Moreover, the votes from the public will give participants the opportunity of gaining a 1,000 € award to the most popular short film.

A jury will select the finalist during the month of April 2018. The public can vote on the finalists during the month of May 2018, with the winners announced in June. 

The third edition of the competition attracted 1,500 participants from 88 countries. 
WASRAG Newsletter On-line Archive  
On the WASRAG website we keep back issues of the WASRAG Newsletter on this page http://www.wasrag.org/
Calendar Of Event  

November 19, 2017 - WORLD TOILET DAY
 
November 20 - 21 - Melbourne, Australia 
World Toilet Summit 
 
November 29 - Dec 1, 2017 - Haryana, India
Introduction to Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage
 
December 5 - 8, 2017 - Ethiopia
Introduction to Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage
https://www.cawst.org/services/trainings/-KbvD-8Olo0uavD4iWv4 
 
February 16 - 18, 2018 - Beirut, Lebanon
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Presidential Peacebuilding Conference 
 
March 18-23, 2018 - Brasilia, Brazil
8th World Water Forum 
 
March 22, 2018 - WORLD WATER DAY

May 1, 2018 - DEADLINE for WASRAG World Water Day Competition
 
May 28, 2018 - MENSTRUAL HEALTH DAY
 
Service Spotlight
We love hearing about your projects and are delighted to relay these great opportunities for Rotarians to get involved in WASH projects! 
 
When posting your projects on the wasrag.org website, please remember to include the name of your Rotary club and District number. 
 
Contact us at  info@wasrag.org if you need help with your posting.

WASRAG needs Your Membership
Membership revenue helps cover our administrative costs, website, development of support materials etc. Follow this link to Become a Member

To check whether your membership has expired, email Anna Shepherd .

To submit stories and pictures our Newsletter, please email:  info@wasrag.org  to the attention of  WASRAG   newsletter  editors Ian Rumbles and Terri Black.
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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.
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