More and more Rotarians are heeding the call to
address one of the world’s biggest humanitarian challenges: unsafe drinking water. Access
to safe water is a fundamental human need, and in many minds, a fundamental human right. Closely aligned is the need for adequate
sanitation. All too often human waste is
contaminating drinking water in developing nations and threatening the lives of
millions – especially children. Fetching water from increasingly distant
sources also uses up the lion’s share of time and energy for millions of rural
women.
All of this is an outrageous waste for
humankind. It’s linked to numerous
diseases and dangerous pathogens, including the poliovirus. Rotarians have joined under the Wasrag (Water
& Sanitation Rotarian Action Group) banner to meet the challenge. But, we need many skills and a wide range of
talents if we are to succeed.
In the past identifying and harnessing these
skills has been difficult, but the emergence of the internet, social media and
“apps” is changing the world. Now we can
have Rotary eClubs, uniting Rotarians electronically wherever Rotary
exists.
District 9980 (southernmost New Zealand) has
been researching the feasibility of a global WASH eClub to focus and link WASH
skills from around the world.
Enthusiastic support is coming from Past Rotary International President
and current Wasrag Chair Bill Boyd, and Dr. Nicholas Mancus, who is currently managing
a major WASH program in Uganda. The club
will retain many of a traditional club’s characteristics – but one of the
biggest challenges will be maintaining the fellowship and spirit that is the
heart of Rotary.
The District is very fortunate in having the support of University
of Otago and Otago Polytechnic researchers, whose sophisticated IT expertise,
united with Rotary’s humanitarian skills, will be an enormous asset for the new
club.
The
first step will be to form a “New Club Sponsorship” working team. The board members of all new clubs, including
eClubs, need mentoring in their early days so they can get up-to-speed as
quickly as possible. With the right
guidance, we hope to have the new eClub up and running within a year.
Regardless of where you live, if you can help
District 9980 launch and sustain this eClub until its members are on their
feet, please email: info@wasrag.org.
