You are invited to view all of the back issues of the WASRAG / WASH Rag Newsletters at http://www.wasrag.org/news . Visit us at: WASH-RAG.org .View our videos at: WASH Rotary Action Group YouTube Channel .Follow us on Facebook at: WASH Rotary Action Group . Please Read More.......Here is a link to the latest WASHRAG Newsletters.
Change in Website Address: To be consistent with the change in our name to the WASH Rotary Action Group, 0ur website address has been changed to www.WASH-RAG.org
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Limited Early Bird Tickets Still Available: Registration from April 1 to June 3 - Members $200, non-members $225 .(Non-member registration includes a one year membership in the WASH Rotary Action Group)The tremendous damage to communities inflicted by the recent pandemic has forced many of us to rethink priorities. As health care workers globally have struggled to deal with a deadly virus, light has been shed on an often-ignored need. All the PPE in the world, all the medical know-how and resources, are useless until we address the fundamental, underlying need for basic water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in health care facilities. Not many people realize that a quarter of all health care facilities, globally, have no basic water service; as many as 1.8 billion people are exposed to infection due to lack of safe water every day. One in three people have no handwashing facilities at the point of care, 10% have no sanitation.
This grim picture prompted a call to action by UNICEF and the WHO. They have set an ambitious target: 80% of health care facilities (HCFs) to have WASH services by 2025, and 100% of health care facilities to have WASH services 2030
This is the sort of challenge that Rotary was born for. Clubs everywhere are encouraged to implement WASH related projects in all health care facilities – whether they be hospitals, clinics, maternity wards. The reasons are many. WASH is:
· Essential for safe, effective care and preventing deaths.
· Fundamental to infection prevention and control
· Prerequisite for stopping Covid-19
· Top priority for women receiving maternal care.
· A “best-buy”: paying for itself in one year, saving $1.50 for every dollar invested thereafter
According to a 2019 Survey conducted by the White Ribbon Alliance: "1.2 million women tell us they are fed up with giving birth in dirty and disgusting conditions. They want clean toilets in maternity wards. They want soap and water to wash themselves and their babies after birth." As Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General states: “Water, sanitation and hygiene in health facilities are the most basic requirements of infection prevention and control, and of quality care”. Some 100 humanitarian organizations have committed to the above goals, including government agencies, private sector, universities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). They include prestigious organizations like Water for People, WaterAid, Emory University, Makerere University, Engineers without Borders, Hilton Foundation, USAID, Water Missions and AquaTabs. And, the WASH Rotary Action Group is proud to be included in their ranks.
WASH-RAG’s goal is to help every Rotary club access the resources needed to implement a sustainable project. These resources include tools such as WASH FIT (Water & Sanitation for Health - Facility Improvement Tool, designed by UNICEF, 2019). to help agree on priorities, and the “Advocacy Roadmap” to help bring about change in the community.
Is there a need in your community? Are you ready to help address it? If so: Visit your local hospital. Talk to the staff and patients. Walk the wards, look at the toilets.
Would you want your wife to deliver your baby there, or go for surgery?
WASH-RAG can help you take that next step.
Yours in Rotary
Ron Denham, Chair Emeritus
WASH Rotary Action Group
Looking for a Water Project?: The WASH Rotary Action Group Project Page continues to grow with a variety of projects from around the globe. The project list provides Rotary members with a place to obtain expert advice and obtain financial support from other clubs for major project grants. Future newsletters will include a featured project and a few additional projects from the WASH Rotary Action Group Project page.
Go to the WASH Rotary Action Group Stories page to see their interesting collection of videos on handwashing from some American Sitcoms, some clever songs on handwashing, examples on tweets you can make, graphics you can use, and resources if you want to get serious.
E-Club of WASH - Online Meetings - Over the past year, Rotarians have become familiar with Zoom meetings. The E-Club of WASH has been meeting virtually using Zoom for a number of years. They have members from around the world with a common interest in water, sanitation, and hygiene. Due to meetings being held virtually they have the advantage of being able to have exceptional WASH-related speakers. Rotarians are welcome to visit or join. Visit their meeting Zoom Schedule.
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, and Most important - what can we learn from mistakes - ours and others?
The Water, Sanitation & Hygiene 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. WASH RAG operates in accordance with Rotary International policy but is not an agency of, or controlled by, Rotary International.
To submit stories and pictures our Newsletter, please email: info@wasrag.org to the attention of WASH RAG newsletter editors Ian Rumbles and Terri Black.
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 wash-rag.org website, please remember to include the name of your Rotary club and District number.
You Can Introduce Your Club to WASH-RAG (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene): It’s easy to become a WASH Advocate by becoming a presenter at your next club meeting, District meeting, or Zone! You can present WASH in your community! Did you know you don't have to be a Rotarian to join WASH-RAG? Your environmentally minded friends, water-conscious community members, and the general public can join us too! Tell them to check us out at www.wash-rag.org or forward this newsletter!
OR become an Ambassador! The WASH Rotary Action Group Ambassadors are a corps of knowledgeable members who provide support and promotion of the WASH goals of WASH Rotary Action Group and The Rotary Foundation. Find or become an Ambassador! The WASH Rotary Action Group Ambassadors are a corps of knowledgeable members who provide support and promotion of the WASH goals of WASH Rotary Action Group and The Rotary Foundation. To apply, click here: https://www.wash-rag.org/page/wasrag-ambassadors
Download the 2022 WASH Rotary Action Group Powerpoint Presentation right here: https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qgHJzWTKIVgw6pjweh23GErn2yYxugv70fTt908SNM0BVm8bTSVkAnP-S1EnhTRmUK-eY4NWenDXeeJRfynTR-UMhAiEN4w-BvhS4zRdf1ieW_3RdtjPAY7OPx5F-saP_oBb7uZI1k2EPxFji-R036q21P3UHk-pDIRW4w4ZOR0MlQBb4bdgLXdFFwLiBjNd5c8mFjDCHaYbEsj6V-nR-HVaTSVCywxkDCZ3UrLZpc22C1Ese4TqnA==&c=yTlJLhFuufBbsdeSiTsSTMoQl3PeJ_Qpry3mRtzP38j9o01GeVBXeg==&ch=M4vJKrFsdOP38FQFaAWMf4sM66Nx3M4t1M7p9QA0cqax2vwPiEev1w==
Download the Frequently Asked Questions right here: https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qgHJzWTKIVgw6pjweh23GErn2yYxugv70fTt908SNM0BVm8bTSVkAnP-S1EnhTRmCt8e_0wazYVAj9oHuGa-Dy2lpRP-BD_u0YHj-3CfMCxPrD9a3pbuXOXat_-IjorNe4hs5ZQxTiem0MhfyRchNk82jpybLIuPRRu4EEXOmmTjsO0CTd9GLZvIA_fDPVQ2ljLtZMXW8qwSrHRuYJIr2wTYrTQt6lozx6_Qw0EK3vrGUzo9B0ON1A==&c=yTlJLhFuufBbsdeSiTsSTMoQl3PeJ_Qpry3mRtzP38j9o01GeVBXeg==&ch=M4vJKrFsdOP38FQFaAWMf4sM66Nx3M4t1M7p9QA0cqax2vwPiEev1w==