NEWS:
Learn more about Rotary success in the WASRAG stories.
Oct 15, 2019 - GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY: https://globalhandwashing.org 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.
World Polio Day – October 24, 2019 – Plan Now! Getting your club to clean up a local river is just one of many excellent ideas for a Service Project for World Polio Day, October 24 . World Polio Day Competition - FLYER - Your club could win $500! LEARN MORE . 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.
Nov 19, 2019 - WORLD TOILET DAY: https://www.un.org/en/events/
World Water Day – March 22, 2020 – Plan Now! Getting your club to clean up a local river is just one of many excellent ideas for a Service Project for World Water Day, March 22. World Water Day Competition - FLYER - Your club could win $500! LEARN MORE
Join us for WASRAG World Water Summit 12 on Friday June 5, 2020 - As Rotarians scale up WASH programs, what can we learn? Why do some partnerships produce result 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 register and learn more go to World Water Summit 12. WASRAG World Water Summit 12 will be part of the Presidential Conference celebrating 75 years of collaboration with the United Nations. The theme for WWS-12 stems from this relationship.
Building WASH Partnerships that Work! As Rotarians scale up WASH programs, what can we learn from the United Nations and other partnerships? Why do some partnerships produce results and others fizzle, wasting time, money and resources? How should we:
Choose the right partner
Select the right project
Learn to work with others
Develop a shared vision - towards SDG-6
Agree on the right role for Rotary clubs and Rotarians
Develop the best relationship with governments and local authorities
Assemble a team that builds on mutual strengths
Reconcile money issues
Most important - what can we learn from mistakes - ours and others?
Let Us Help You With Your Project - WASRAG members are working on a wide assortment of wonderful projects. However, getting partners to help support the project is always a challenge. Dr. Omar Helferich, Visiting Scholar for Calvin College Institute for Clean Water, has accepted the volunteer position of Project Listing Manager. He will work on developing the Projects section of the WASRAG website and assisting clubs in getting their projects listed. With decades of experience in the water and sanitation area, he will also be assisting the WASRAG Professional Services Team in reviewing and revising Rotary Grant proposals to achieve project approval and meet budget targets. To get help with your Project Listing send an email to info@wasrag.org and indicate Project Listing in the subject header.
We Want to Help! - WASRAG has assembled a group of professionals to assist Rotary Clubs with their WASH projects. The team have 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 http://wasrag.org/page/
Our Members Asked? - WASRAG is extremely fortunate to count many dedicated and knowledgeable Rotarians on its team. Which is good - as our membership has lots of questions about the best technology to use on projects, how best to assess local needs, and best practices for sustainable projects. We would like to start a new feature in the newsletter, where you ask the questions and we get answers from our experts and the readers. We will provide the input in a future newsletter. Send your email to info@wasrag.org and indicate QUESTION in the title
The Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action Group is a group of Rotarians whose purpose is to support Rotary clubs to effectively plan, finance, implement, monitor and evaluate water, sanitation, and hygiene programs, where they are most needed in a collaborative, cost-effective, timely, and sustainable manner, true to the principles of Rotary International. Wasrag operates in accordance with Rotary International policy but is not an agency of, or controlled by, Rotary International.
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.
To submit stories and pictures our Newsletter, please email: info@wasrag.org to the attention of Wasrag newsletter editors Ian Rumbles and Terri Black.
Wasrag needs your membership. Membership revenue helps cover our administrative costs, website upgrades, training, development of support materials etc. To check whether your membership has expired, email Anna Shepherd
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.
WASH Resources Here are some great WASH resources that you might find useful! :
Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology
Faecal Sludge Management - Practical Action in South Asia
WASRAG - The Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (WASRAG) was formed in 2007 by a group of Rotarians, recognized by Rotary International, and focused on WASH projects. Since then it has facilitated many hundreds of projects – helping clubs find partners, ensuring sustainability, stressing the importance of a needs-driven approach, and developing best practices. We encourage a holistic, integrated approach in which water is not the end in itself, but is rather the means to a better life and livelihood in the community. Most importantly, WASRAG links water and sanitation to improved hygiene, better health, and empowerment of the community – especially women, irrigation and agriculture, education and literacy and, ultimately, child mortality.