WASRAG Newsletter - February 2020
People of WASH Photo and Video Competition
WASRAG has initiated a photograph and video competition with $2,400 in prize money. We are developing a digital library of photographs and videos available to all Rotarians to promote WASH projects on social media, websites, flyers and other promotional materials.
 
Submissions are due by May 1. To make a submission send an email to PeopleofWASH@wasrag.org .

For rules and guidelines go to People of WASH
World Water Day - March 22
Is your club doing something on World Water Day - March 22? Tell us what you are doing or what you did so we can highlight it in a future issue of the newsletter.

The 2020 theme of World Water Day is about water and climate change and how the two are linked. Learn more about World Water Day .

This picture is Salvador Rico's daughter doing a River Clean Up from 2018, and appeared on the cover of the Mexican Rotary magazine.
WASH Not Done Right !
WASRAG will be leading a break-out session at the RI Convention in Honolulu on the topic “ Learning from WASH Failures ”.

The failure could be due to any of a number of causes: inappropriate technology, failure of the community to take ownership, lack of funding for ongoing operations, etc.

Contact Ron Denham, ron.denham@atkearney.com with your examples, so he can coordinate a panel on this important topic. Let's stop making the same mistakes.
Water-Related Conflict
Increasing demands for water, population growth, rapid urbanization, and climate change are all impacting on the availability of water, which when in short supply can lead to conflicts.

The Water, Peace and Security partnership, led by IHE Delft, has released a Global Early Warning tool, that uses machine learning to predict possible water-related conflict up to a year in advance.
Well continues to impact on Togo, Africa
Six years ago, the Rotary Club of Bradley Sunrise , Cleveland, TN, utilizing donations from other clubs and a matching global grant from The Rotary Foundation, were able to finance the drilling of a well in the village of Akoumape, Togo, Africa. 

Recently, Pastor Koku Loku, visited the club to report on the impact of the project in their community. In addition to providing clean water, there has been water for crop irrigation and establishment of a fish farm.

Read the full story in the Cleveland Banner .
WASH'em Webinar
A number of partners are working together to provide a webinar on providing WASH programs in emergency situations.

You can learn about Wash'Em , a free digital tool, by attending the webinar on March 10, 2020, 2 pm London (GMT). Follow this link to register for the webinar  and get a jump-start on better hygiene programs.

Wash'Em is a project of  Action Contre Faim (ACF) The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)  and  CAWST , that have joined together to improve handwashing practices in emergency settings. 
Saving 300 Litres a Day
The Rotary Club of Jamshedpur Dalma during a survey of a school observed that a very old hand washing station due to water seepage was losing 300 litres of water daily . 

The club demolished the old hand wash station and built a new hand wash station with a water soak pit that recycled the water.
 
The project will benefit over 600 students.
"It's Not All About Flushing"
Donate A Loo Schools Project, founded by Helene Bramwell of the Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn , aims to provide safe, reliable, and decent sanitation as a means to restore dignity to school children.

Their solution is a dry sanitation option as they feel flushing toilets with drinking quality water is unwise and unsustainable. They will continue to roll out to more schools as they receive funding.

To learn more about this project visit Donate-A-Loo
Build Partnerships That Work
Join RI President Mark Maloney at the World Water Summit 12 (WWS12) being held June 5, 2020, in Honolulu.

What can we learn from Rotary's 75 year successful partnership with the United Nations. Building WASH Partnerships that Work will provide sessions geared to help build partnerships that work.

Register TODAY at WWS12
Upcoming and previous E-Club Speakers
On the first and third Thursday of each month at 8 pm Eastern time, all Rotarians are welcome to join into the Rotary E-Club of WASH that is focused on global Water, Sanitation and Hygiene issues. All their presentations are on-line for viewing at a later time if you can not make a meeting.

March 5 and 10, 2020, the program is
Bob Rose: Hans Rosling's Factfulness Quiz on Global Development Issues

April 16 and 21, 2020, the program is
Barbara Stewart, waterforme.org, Water Testing

May 7 and 12, 2020, the program is
Tania Vachon, Director, Social Art for Behaviour Change, One Drop

To attend a meeting go to https://zoom.us/j/314362718
Calendar of Events
E-Club of WASH - Online Meetings
On the first and third Thursday of every month at 8 pm Eastern attend an online meeting focused on a common interest of WASH Issues. To learn more visit https://www.rotarywasheclub.org/ or join at https://zoom.us/j/314362718

Mar 10, 2020 - 2:00 pm London (GMT) - WASH'em Webinar

Mar 22, 2020 - WORLD WATER DAY

Apr 24 - 26 - Household Water Treatment & Safe Storage Workshop
Ridgetown, Ontario, Canada

May 1, 2020 - Deadline - People of WASH Photograph and Video Competition

May 28, 2020 - MENSTRUAL HYGIENE DAY

Jun 5, 2020 - WORLD WATER SUMMIT 12, Honolulu, Hawaii

Jun 7, 2020 - BREW and WASRAG Hawaiian Luau

Oct 15, 2020 - GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY

Nov 19, 2019 - WORLD TOILET 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.