The Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (WASRAG) announced a partnership to bring 5 million gallons [19 million litres] of clean water, along with sanitation and hygiene education, to 30 schools in Malawi and Tanzania during its fourth World Water Summit on 20 May 2011. The other members of the partnership are Africare, Procter and Gamble, and H2O for Life.
Africare will implement the project, Procter and Gamble will provide PUR water purification packets through its Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, and H2O for Life will connect schoolchildren in North America with those in Malawi and Tanzania to educate them about the water crisis. Rotary clubs and districts will donate to the project and use their community connections to help find schools to participate.
WASRAG estimates that the water treatment will cost US$ 20,000 per school. Rotary clubs and districts will provide about a sixth of the funding.
The group announced several other partnerships during its summit, including an alliance with Chevron to develop a technology demonstration centre in Niger and an agreement with car wash owners in Atlanta, Georgia, who plan to contribute a portion of the cost of every car wash to water projects. WASRAG is also working with Jamie Bartram, director of the Water Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to develop monitoring protocols for its projects.
Related web sites:
- Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (WASRAG)
- Africare – Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
- Procter and Gamble – Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program
- H2O for Life
- Water Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Source: Diana Schoberg, Rotary International News, 22 May 2011
