|
| |
 World Toilet Day! November 19, 2014Why celebrate toilets? UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his Message for the World Toilet Day: " We have a moral imperative to end open defecation and a duty to ensure women and girls are not at risk of assault and rape, simply because they lack a sanitation facility." It is hard to imagine that 2.5 billion people do not have access to proper sanitation. And the impact of that lack of access is severe: disease, pollution, vulnerability to assault, girls missing school time... the list goes on. Sanitation may not be sexy, but it matters! Read more... |
| |
 Rain Water HarvestingThanks to Wasrag supporter Lloyd Gardner for letting us know the Virgin Islands Water Resources Institute conducts research on rainwater harvesting systems, relevant to Rotary Club and District projects in many countries. The reports are available in digital form here. As defined by Wikipedia, "rainwater harvesting is the accumulation and deposition of rainwater for reuse on-site, rather than allowing it to runoff. Uses include water for garden, water for livestock, water for irrigation, water for domestic use with proper treatment, and indoor heating for houses etc." For additional information see Wasrag Guidelines for Sustainable water projects, page 47. |
| |
 UPGRo: Design Roads for Water Harvesting and Groundwater RechargeUPGRo is an NGO working to unlock the potential of groundwater for the poor. They recently posted an article on building roads in a way that works with nature rather than against it. Over the last year, their UPGro Catalyst project has been researching how roads can be used for rainwater harvesting on a landscape scale to recharge aquifers and ponds for later use in the dry seasons. Read More... |
| |
 Join the Debate: Is Public Financing a Dirty Word?Following this year's Stockholm Water Conference, IRC's Patrick Moriarty challenges the idea that sustainability can be obtained without public financing support. Arguing that we KNOW roughly 30% of projects fail within a few years, we must seek other approaches. For example, DGIS now requires a sustainability clause in its grants making recipients responsible for 10 years of maintenance. Does this work? Check out this lively debate on the IRC blog. |
| |
 WASH in SCHOOLS theme at WWS7 - Sao PauloPromoting improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene education for schools makes so much sense. Teach children good habits and they share them at home and in the community. Build capacity in teachers to continue teaching students for years. Nurture a sense of shared responsibility to maintain systems, and model success. Join Rotarians from around the world at Wasrag's World Water Summit 7, immediately before the international convention in Sao Paulo June 2015! Registration opens soon.
|
| |
 Interested in a WASH in Schools Program?As a follow-up to the successful 2012-13 Adopta' School pilot program with Procter & Gamble, Africare, and H2O for Life, Wasrag is working with selected Rotary Districts to develop a phase 2 program. If your club would like more information about participating in this program please email, and check back in our newsletter for updates. Planning is underway for 30 schools in D9140, southern Nigeria, and 30 schools in Malawi.
|
| |
 2014 UNC Where Science Meets Policy Proceedings from the recent University of North Carolina conference are now available online. Main conference themes: WaSH in Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals; Hygiene and Behavior Change; WaSH Emergency Response; Monitoring and Evaluation: Impact and Efficiencies for Projects and Programs; Water Supply and Quality: From Catchment to Consumer and Back; Sanitation: How Are We Doing on Defining the Future?; Addressing Disparities in WaSH: Rural, Peri-urban and Indigenous Populations. Save the date for 2015: Oct. 26 - 30 ! |
|
|
 New Projects...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 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 upgrades, training, development of support materials etc. To check whether your membership has expired, email Anna. To become a member, simply click on the button.
|
|
*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.
|
|
|
|
|
