$500 for WASH Projects 
Need some extra support for your Club or District's WASH project?

WASRAG is here to help Rotary Clubs and Districts do  more sustainable and better-designed water and sanitation projects. Thanks to a recent WASRAG Board decision, we're now putting our money where our mouth is. Your club/district may qualify for a $500 donation from the WASRAG Fund towards your Rotary Foundation-approved WASH project.

Before submitting your Global Grant application to The Rotary Foundation, first send us your application at  info@wasrag.org. WASRAG experts will review your application and make suggestions, if needed, to improve the quality of your project. If you incorporate our suggestions (or tell us why we're wrong), WASRAG will contribute $500 towards your  project once it has been approved by The Rotary Foundation. It's that simple.

WASRAG is your Rotary partner in water and sanitation. We know how much your Club/District wants to best serve the community you are targeting with your support. The success of your project is a collective success for us all.  WASRAG looks forward to working with you. 

Special Support:
$1,0500 for WASH in Schools (WinS) Projects 
The Rotary World is fortunate to have Rotary Clubs like Box Hill Central, District 9810 (Australia). WASRAG Board member Mark Balla and his club have created an NGO called "We Can't Wait", that is committed to giving every child the right to an education by providing clean water and sanitation to schools.

Rotary Club of Box Hill Central's "We Can't Wait" has agreed to support any WASH in Schools (WinS) project with $500 if it is approved by the WASRAG Fund review committee.  That is $1,000 towards your water, sanitation and hygiene project in schools. Get planning!  

Send your Global Grant application to info@wasrag.org to apply for both WASRAG Fund and We Can't Wait grants. 
World Water Day Competition DEADLINE  
WOW !  Rotarians are demonstrating that they want to Make a Difference. We are receiving lots of entries for the WASRAG World Water Day Challenge. 

The deadline for submissions of May 1, 2018 is approaching, so make your entry soon. It is really simple to apply. Write a brief  description of your project and send to info@wasrag.org 

In June we will award $500 to:
- The Best Project, and 
- The Most Innovative Project
WWS 10 - WASH and Health - June 22, 2018 
Learn what Rotarians can do to help the thousands of hospitals and health care facilities that lack safe water and sanitation. President Elect Barry Rassin, a Hospital Administrator himself, will share how Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects impact the health of millions of people.

The full-day program, that precedes the Rotary International Convention, will include round table discussions on current topics, panel discussions and break-out sessions.

The WASRAG member rate of $175, includes a light breakfast and full lunch. The program is being held at Toronto's Delta Hotel on Friday, June 22, 2018. Register Here 

Amazing Story of Clean Water in Lebanon
The Rotary Clubs in Lebanon have a laser focus on bringing clean water to schools.  So far, they have installed complete new water systems at 800 schools, providing clean water to 5,000 students.

All 27 Rotary Clubs in the District are supporting Global Grants to bring clean water to the remaining 400 schools in the area by the end of 2018.

The impact of this project is highlighted by the story from one of the school principals, "T he school was aware that the water was undrinkable, so we had students bring water bottles with them to school and forbid them from using the water from the taps. After the water filtration system was installed and awareness on the importance of consuming clean drinking water, the complete opposite occurred. We were astonished when we saw the students bringing empty bottles with them to school, fill them up with clean water and take it back home, so their families can drink clean water, too!"

Beer and Clean Water
Beers Rotarians Enjoy Worldwide (B.R.E.W.) is an official Rotary Fellowship group. Their goal is to become not only the largest Rotary fellowship, but to support clean water projects.

BREW and WASRAG have formed a partnership to approach breweries around the world for donations towards clean water projects. 

Stay tuned. This group is very keen to get serious about fundraising. After all the main ingredient in beer is clean water!
Become a Water Warrior  
Take a picture or a video, offering a glass of water, in one of the three Water Warrior Poses and then make a donation to The WASRAG Fund.

The picture can be of you, with someone else, or even your whole Rotary club. Have fun with the idea and don't forget to post to Social Media. 

Learn more about this campaign by going to Water Warrior  

Donations are tax-deductible in Canada and the USA, and support WASRAG's clean water and sanitation projects. 
May 28 - Menstrual Hygiene Day 
In 2014 the German-based NGO WASH United initiated May 28 as a global awareness day to help break the silence and build awareness about the role that good menstrual hygiene management plays in enabling women and girls to reach their full potential.

To learn more about this day and to obtain some excellent resources visit.  http://menstrualhygieneday.org/
We Want to Help! 
WASRAG has assembled a group of professionals to assist Rotary Clubs with their WASH projects. The team has experience in needs assessment, planning, grant preparation, implementation and WASH training.
 
Members of the Professional Resources Team are from many countries, experienced in working in developing countries and are fluent in a number of languages.
 
If you need help with a project send an email to: info@wasrag.org.  For more details visit
Engineering for CHANGE
"How to Achieve Clean Water and Sanitation Access for Everyone", is the opening heading in the March issue of the Engineering for Change Newsletter.  

Their website www.engineeringforchange.org has a wealth of information on water, sanitation, and health topics. An example under the Water section is an article "The Secret to Sustainable WASH Technology: Five Questions for Sean Furey"

Water Project Featured in Rotary Voices
In recognition of World Water Day, March 22, Rotary Voices distributed an article on a Rotary water project in Sri Lanka.

The article highlights the Global Grant project awarded by The Rotary Foundation to the Rotary Club of Colombo, Sri Lanka and eight Rotary clubs in District 6600, in Ohio.

You can read about this project on the WASRAG.org website, under the About WASRAG tab, in the Stories section, Clean Drinking Water in Sri Lanka

You can also read about the project in Rotary Voices at Water is building friendships and changing lives in Sri Lanka.

On the same day, Rotary Weekly pointed out that since 2013 The Rotary Foundation has invested $74 million on water and sanitation projects. To read more about Rotary's involvement in clean water, sanitation and hygiene visit Providing Clean Water.
WASRAG Newsletter On-line Archive  
Back issues of the WASRAG Newsletter are stored at http://www.wasrag.org/. 
Calendar Of Event s   

May 1, 2018 - DEADLINE for WASRAG World Water Day Competition
 
May 28, 2018 - MENSTRUAL HEALTH DAY
 
June 22, 2018 - World Water Summit 10 - WASH and Health - Toronto Canada

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

Oct 29 - Nov 2, 2018 - 
Water and Health 2018 - 
Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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.
Not on Our Mailing List ?
Share this newsletter with other Rotarians and those interested in clean water.

Keep up- to-date on water, sanitation and hygiene information and opportunities. 
 
Learn what Rotary groups are doing around the planet to provide clean water.  Follow this link to subscribe.

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.
STAY CONNECTED: