WASRAG Newsletter - August 2019
Educate on Protecting Your Water Sources
World Polio Day, October 24th, was established by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the team that developed the Polio vaccine.

The Polio virus is often spread through contaminated drinking water, so WASRAG is holding a competition to encourage clubs to recognize projects that are Most Impactful or Most Innovative in regards to improving the quality of water and/or awareness in your community. Use your imagination to find ways to educate your community on the importance of protecting its water sources. For more details go to World Polio Day Competition.

Submit a brief description of your project, by Dec 1, 2019, to info@wasrag.org.
NextGen WASH
The Rotary Club of Denver Southeast is hosting a WASH Symposium, Oct 5, 2019 in Denver, CO. The focus of the program will be on investing in the next generation of water, sanitation and hygiene professionals.

The program of excellent speakers will be a combination of Keynote presentations and a number of breakout sessions with great facilitators.

For information and to register visit nextgenwash.com
Club Tackles Project in Panama
The Ngobe-Bugle tribe are among the most impoverished indigenous people in Panama. Having sanitation and clean water are major challenges for these rural populations.

Dan Heffron of the Rotary Club of New Richmond, WI was recognized as the 2019 Rotarian of the Year for tackling a project to bring a washroom to a school in Panama. Read the story on this project.
More on WASH in Healthcare Facilities
There continues to be a lot of interest and action internationally on the topic of WASH in Healthcare Facilities.

For the past year, Emory University has been holding monthly webinars on a variety of topics on this subject. Visit washconhcf.org to watch one of these webinars.

A network of committed organizations to improving WASH in healthcare facilities has been established and they are using washinhcf.org to coordinate and share their efforts
4,000 Benefit from Global Grant
Ten schools in Limpopo, South Africa have access to clean water thanks to a Global Grant from The Rotary Foundation.

The Rotary Club of Polokwane and Rotary Club of Pietersburg 100, of South Africa partnered with Rotary Club of Ankeny, IA to manage this project.

WASH in Nepal
Barbara Lovegrove, of the Rotary Club of Kirriemuir, UK, when writing about the project they were preparing to undertake, visited the area and noted how she "...observed the lack of sanitation and its deleterious effect on children in rural communities."

Working with the Rotary Club of Himalayan Gurkhas, Nepal, they obtained a Global Grant from The Rotary Foundation and this fall at six schools they will be building toilets and handwashing stations, as well as ensuring students get hygiene training.

Tichelman Wins Trip to Hawaii
Carol Tichelman, a member of the Rotary Club of Chiliwack, Canada, was the lucky winner of free airfare to Hawaii to attend the World Water Summit 12 and the Rotary International Convention.

She is an active Rotarian, who will be District Governor for District 5050 for the 2020-2021 year. Carol is a recipient of the Service Above Self Award as well as the International Service Award for a Polio Free World.

Congratulations Carol!
Building WASH Partnerships that Work!
As Rotarians scale up WASH programs, what can we learn? Why do some partnerships produce results and others fizzle? The World Water Summit 12 team is already working on the program to be held in Honolulu, Hawaii on 5 June 2020. To learn more and register go to World Water Summit 12.

You can download the presentations from World Water Summit 11 by going to WWS11.
Global Handwashing Day - Oct 15
The theme for the Oct 15 Global Handwashing Day is "Clean Hands for All". If your club wants to celebrate this day go to globalhandwashing.org for lots of wonderful resources.

Recently, the Global Handwashing Partnership and USAID Water Communications released the January to June 2019 Handwashing Research Index of 36 studies on handwashing and the connection to global health. This is an excellent resource for those interested in this area.
Calendar of Events
Oct 15, 2019 - GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY
 
Oct 24, 2019 - WORLD POLIO DAY

Nov 19, 2019 - WORLD TOILET DAY

March 22, 2020 - WORLD WATER DAY

May 28, 2020 - MENSTRUAL HYGIENE 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.