We've Changed Our Name. With the approval of Rotary International our organization is now going to be called "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Rotary Action Group" or "WASH Rotary Action Group" to reflect the emphasis Rotarians are placing on hygiene as an important component of projects. Our new logo, has WASH in a font to represent water pipes. The water spurt is in the many colors used in the Rotary logos. "Rotary Action Group" is spelled out at the bottom in blue to complete the logo. A downloadable logo, revamping of the website, and more will be coming in the upcoming months . There is lots to look forward to. You are invited to view all of the back issues of the WASRAG / WASH Rag Newsletters at http://www.wasrag.org/news For more Water, Sanitation and Hygiene News for this month, please Read More.......
World Wash Summit 12: Rotarians from around the world attended World Water Summit 12, which was held virtually and captured on video. In this video, you will hear Barry Rassin, Past President RI, provide an update on the collaboration to bring clean water to all the people of Haiti. There also was an excellent panel on "Sanitation & Hygiene in the Era of COVID-19".
2020 People of WASH: This was the first year for the People of WASH competition. We received 83 photographs and seven videos from around the world covering a variety of WASH projects.The photos and videos will soon be on the website for Rotary clubs to use to promote their projects or to present on WASH topics. Visit the People of WASH page to see this year's winners. We awarded $1,700 in prize money. Next year's competition is now open, contact PeopleofWASH@wasrag.org to submit your photos and videos.
Annual Meeting: Our first virtual Annual Meeting was well attended. You can read that Annual Report of President Mike Webb to learn about the many activities and accomplishments over the past year. During the Annual Meeting, the five goals of the Operations Team for the upcoming year are: Restructure the Operations Team; Diversify and increase fundraising; Increase visibility; Increase membership; and Expand programs
Looking for a Water Project? Click here and see 12 projects looking for your help.
Recently Created or Updated Projects: Since 2009, the Rotary Club of Newmarket has been supporting the Ongutoi Health Centre, located in North Eastern Uganda through a variety of projects. They have completed one phase of a water collection system, and now are embarking on a planned further expansion of this important water resource for this medical facility. Information on their project can be found here. The excellent video they produced in conjunction with their partner High Adventure highlights the work they have completed and the work that is planned. They are looking for partners to help them with the next phase of the project. For more details and to get involved contact Richard Mewhinney.
CALENDAR:
E-Club of WASH - Online Meetings - On the first and third Thursday of every month at 8 pm Eastern and the second and fourth Tuesdays at 12 pm EDT attend an online meeting focused on a common interest of WASH Issues. To learn more visit https://www.rotarywasheclub.
Oct 15, 2020 - GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY https://globalhandwashing.org
Oct 24, 2020 - WORLD POLIO DAY https://www.endpolio.org/
Nov 19, 2020 - WORLD TOILET DAY - https://www.un.org/en/events/toiletday/
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?
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. 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 your project listed on the WASRAG Projects page and/or to get highlighted in a future newsletter contact Omar K Helferich at okeithhelferich@msn.com who manages the Projects page
We Want to Help! - WASH Rotary Action Group 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? - WASHRAG 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 & 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.
The Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Rotarian Action Group (WASHRAG) 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.