December 20, 2011:

"UNICEF and the World Health Organization today released a report showing that the Millennium Development Goal of improving access to safe drinking water will likely be achieved considerably ahead of the 2015 target date.

"The good news is that almost 1.8 billion more people now have access to drinking water compared to the start of the 1990s," said Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF associate director and water and sanitation chief. "The bad news is that the poorest and most marginalised are being left behind." Read More...

In a Nairobi slum, where people live in close quarters with limited services, an enterprising group of MIT Business School grads decided to extend a school project into a full-fledged business: making urine diversion dehydrating toilets (UDDTs) and selling franchises.  

The business is based on a simple formula: franchisees buy a toilet - $500 for year one, and about $80/yr. in subsequent years. For this they receive an installed toilet, mop, supplies, and training, PLUS collection of the urine and faeces, usually daily. Read More... 

Future Vision Pilot D4250 Project Fair & WATER CONFERENCE hosted by Rotary District 4250, will allow all pilot districts to gather and implement global and district grants. The fair will be hosted 2-4 February 2012 at the Hotel Honduras Maya in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Fairs encourage international friendship and collaboration on international service projects. They also provide an opportunity for Rotary clubs in the host districts to exhibit their projects, and for international visitors to meet local project coordinators to find an effort that matches their club's goals. Read More... 

We often receive queries from Rotarians needing help listing projects, or finding a good project for their club. If you would be interested in joining our Communications Team to help respond to these queries, we'd love to hear from you. Of particular help would be volunteers with good skills in languages other than English. Please email Anna Shepherd, if you are interested.

Sustainable and Safe Water for 22 rural schools in Rayong, Thailand.  

The Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya is seeking an international partner for its third Matching Grant for rural schools in Thailand's Rayong Province. At present the children drink untreated water, straining their immune systems. The Club needs an $11,000 contribution, for a total budget of $39,000 to provide filtration systems for 22 schools. Read More... 

A December report from the BBC tells the story of Rwanda's decision to install biogas burners in its prisons to reduce energy costs and protect Rwanda's forests. The biogas is produced by combining inmates' waste with cow dung and provides an effective, odourless source of heat for cooking. Read More... 

The 2011 Race Across Africa attracted 205 participants on 22 teams for a virtual adventure up the Nile River... all 4,132 miles of it!  By "virtual", we mean easy and fun.  Without leaving home, participants simply did whatever exercise they chose - walking, cycling, golfing, pogo-sticking - and logged it on the Race website. Six Rotary Clubs put together teams: from Colorado, to Miami to Fredericton, Canada. Wasrag entered two teams and raised approximately $1,700 for projects.  Read More...  

Interested in a WASH program that leverages club funds? Wasrag has partnered with Africare, H2O for Life, and Procter & Gamble to provide clean water, improved sanitation, and hygiene education at 30 schools - 15 in Malawi, and 15 in Tanzania. Every $1 donated by Rotary Clubs is matched by $4.26 by our partners. For more information click to download the brochure, list of schools, html email, search under program - Adopt-A-School Malawi or Adopt-A-School Tanzania on our website project search, or email the project manager. Six schools have been fully funded to date. There is still time to get involved!