Jim Goodrich, President, Rotary Club of Groveland, CA Safe Water saves Children …. Ron Denham Chair, Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action Group March 2011

The Background: 900 million people (one in six) lack access to safe water900 million people (one in six) lack access to safe water 2.5 billion have no sanitation 2.5 billion have no sanitation

Child Mortality Safe Water & Sanitation Disease & Health Primary Education Child Mortality Gender Equality Poverty & Hunger This lack of access has profound implications for the children:

Water borne disease is a major cause of mortality among children: 8000 people die every day from water- related disease; 5000 of them children 8000 people die every day from water- related disease; 5000 of them children 150 children of every 1,000 born in Africa die before the age of five, 25% from water-related disease 150 children of every 1,000 born in Africa die before the age of five, 25% from water-related disease

Largely from a small number of water related diseases: DiseaseEstimated Ann. Mortality Diarrheal disease2.2 to 5.0 million Intestinal worms200,000 Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia)500,000 Guinea Worm100,000 Sleeping Sickness150,000 Trachoma6 million blinded* *Few direct deaths, but thousands of indirect deaths

Economic consequences are equally serious: 40 billion hours spent, per year, in Africa alone collecting and hauling water40 billion hours spent, per year, in Africa alone collecting and hauling water Women and children (usually girls) spend up to six hour per day fetching waterWomen and children (usually girls) spend up to six hour per day fetching water Families often spend up to 25% of their income to purchase waterFamilies often spend up to 25% of their income to purchase water

Water access was the only Millennium Development Goal (MDG) agreed on by all countries Goal #7: By 2015 reduce by 50% the proportion of people without access to sustainable safe water and sanitation

But the challenge is formidable; too many lack access: Sub-Saharan Africa47% East Asia29% South Asia28% Middle East18% Latin America18%

Water & Sanitation is an RI strategic area of focus, it implies: Rotarians should be aware of world water issuesRotarians should be aware of world water issues Rotary clubs should implement a water and/or sanitation project or programRotary clubs should implement a water and/or sanitation project or program

Rotarians are striving to meet the challenge:

They are responding to every imaginable need:  Drilling boreholes, digging wells  Implementing rainwater harvesting  Installing household filters and purification  Building earth and concrete dams  Installing pipelines/distribution systems  Protecting ponds  Building latrines and toilet blocks

But, together we can do much more: BIGGER BETTER BOLDER

We should be BIGGER, have more impact: Water is the #1 humanitarian challenge But only a small number of clubs are active Little leverage with other organizations Limited use of Rotary Community Corps Few opportunities to scale up to the larger community Too small to attract outside financing

We should be BETTER: Too many projects are unsustainable Much emphasis on activity, too little on humanitarian outcomes Projects “owned” by foreign Rotary clubs Little consideration of life-cycle implications Software, training, behavior change, ignored. Failure to get community/host ownership No monitoring and evaluation Millions of dollars, hours of investment - wasted

We should be BOLDER: Create “programs” not “projects”, e.g. “WASH in Schools” Scale up to the region, watershed, river basin, etc. Focus on humanitarian and economic outcomes e.g. children’s health, education, poverty etc Leverage other organizations: local authority, NGOs, government agencies Appoint and pay a professional team Ask for “big” money—$$$millions

Wasrag can help you become Bigger, Better, Bolder: Assist in preparing “Needs Assessments” Show how to find a project and get started Create a compendium of best practices Design training programs Evaluate alternative technologies Match with clubs and NGOs Facilitate partnerships, attract sponsors, to match club, district and TRF grants

Wasrag is Rotary’s resource for WASH. You can help Rotary clubs everywhere: Volunteer your expertiseVolunteer your expertise Become a link in the Rotary-wide networkBecome a link in the Rotary-wide network Report your successes, share your experienceReport your successes, share your experience Become a member of WasragBecome a member of Wasrag Persuade your friends to support WasragPersuade your friends to support Wasrag Go to: to: Click on “Sign Up”Click on “Sign Up”