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.......

Here is a link to the latest WASHRAG Newsletter.

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

Here is a link to the latest news.

Calendar of Events:

May 5, 2021 - HAND HYGIENE DAY - Hand Hygiene Day

May 28, 2021 - MENSTRUAL HYGIENE DAY - http://menstrualhygieneday.org/ 

Oct 4-8, 2021 - UNC Water and Health Conference, Chapel Hill, North Carolina - https://waterinstitute.unc.edu/conferences/2021wh

Oct 15, 2021 - GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY - https://globalhandwashing.org 

Oct 24, 2021 - WORLD POLIO DAY - World Polio Day Resources

Nov 19, 2021 - WORLD TOILET DAY - https://www.un.org/en/events/toiletday/

 

Great WASH Videos on YouTube:  See: The WASH Rotary Action Group YouTube site 

People of WASH Photograph and Video Competition:  We are looking for your photographs and videos showing people involved in water, sanitation, and hygiene projects. The 2021 People of WASH competition allows us to build a gallery of images that can be used by Rotarians to promote their WASH projects and to be used in educational presentations. There are photography and video sections with amateur and professional categories. There is $2,400 in prize money. Submission deadline April 30th

The 2021 UNC Water and Health Conference: Science, Policy, and Practice will be held October 4-8, 2021, Chapel Hill, NC. They are accepting proposals for abstracts, side events and plenary sessions.


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.

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.  

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 MeetingsOver 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.

World Water Summit - WWS-13: June 3-4, 2021: The 2019 WHO/UNICEF report on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in healthcare facilities (HCFs) outlined the stark inadequacy of WASH services in HCFs around the world, especially in least developed countries. Access to safe WASH is required to prevent and control infections, and ensure safe treatment of patients, staff and families. Learn about WASH in HCFs and what your club can do to help address this critical issue. Register here for June 3. Register here for June 4. 

Rotary International Convention 2020 Breakout Presentation “Learning From WASH Failures” and Breakout Sessions: Click here 

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?

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. 

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 wasrag.org website, please remember to include the name of your Rotary club and District number.