March is Water and Sanitation Month
Greetings! TriCon 2018 Wisconsin (our all-Wisconsin Rotary District Conference) is only two months away. The deadline for reserving hotel rooms at The Wilderness at conference rates is April 3. If you have not yet registered, do it NOW at www.TriCon2018.com . If you have a noteworthy club service project – register for an exhibit in the House of Friendship.
Trees - don’t forget about them. Spring is arriving soon. District Tree Project coordinator Brian Monroe (Mequon Thiensville Sunrise Rotary) can help with questions, or contact your Urban Forester at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Remember, our goal is at least 1 tree planted for every District 6270 Rotarian. Let’s plant trees!
Water and Sanitation- What is the Problem and How Can Rotarians Help?
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What is the problem?According to the United Nations:
· Water scarcity, poor water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world. Drought afflicts some of the world’s poorest countries, worsening hunger and malnutrition. By 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water.
· Water scarcity affects more than 40 per cent of the global population and is projected to rise.
· 2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services, such as toilets or latrines.
· Each day, nearly 1,000 children die due to preventable water and sanitation-related diarrheal diseases.
· At least 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that is contaminated with feces.
· More than 80 per cent of wastewater resulting from human activities is discharged into rivers or sea without any pollution removal.
What can we do about it?
· UN Sustainable Development Goal # 6. Ensure access to water and sanitation for all. (UN Development Program)
· Formed in 2007, the Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (WASRAG) is dedicated to helping communities to gain sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene. It has facilitated hundreds of projects around the world. http://www.wasrag.org/
· Rotary’s partner on polio, UNICEF, works on water focusing on the ability for children to access safe water, basic toilets, and nurturing good hygiene practices. Together Rotary and UNICEF also work in the development and implementation of our WASH in Schools Target Challenge .
· Numerous clubs throughout District 6270 are involved in water and sanitation projects – in Guatemala, Haiti, Kenya, Panama, and elsewhere. Get your club involved. A club in India is looking for a partner for their sanitation project (see the February 2018 District 6270 Newsletter).