By Ellina Kushnir, RI Programs staff
22 March, World Water Day, reminds us to celebrate our achievements and commit to further advancements related to accessing clean water, sanitation facilities, and employing hygienic practices. Sustainable water resources are critical to reducing poverty, improving education opportunities for youth, and alleviating health-related complications.
Today we recognize the countless hours our Rotary family dedicates to water, sanitation, and hygiene education efforts including:
- Using a district grant to provide toilet blocks and wash basins for boys and girls at an elementary school in Nigeria
- Replacing a broken sewage system serving 1,200 people in Ecuador.
- Organizing discussions about solid waste management in the Philippines.
- Using a global grant to equip a health clinic with access to safe drinking water in Papua New Guinea
While we have helped make great strides within the water and sanitation area of focus, 748 million people do not have access to an improved source of drinking water and 2.5 billion do not use an improved sanitation facility.*
Continue the #WorldWaterDay celebration by:
- Using #WaterIs to share messages about #Rotary Water and Sanitation initiatives on Twitter and Facebook
- Quantifying your impact and inspiring others by sharing club and district water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects on Rotary Showcase
- Connecting with potential project partners through Rotary Ideas
- Learning from WASH experts through recordings from the World Water e-Summit: Part 1 (Working with governments), Part 2 (Working with non-governmental organizations), Part 3 (Working with the private sector)
- Working with the Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action Group to volunteer your sector expertise or receive assistance with a WASH initiative
- Attending the World Water Summit on 4 June in São Paulo, Brazil, to learn about planning sustainable WASH in Schools efforts
*March 2015 United Nations Inter-Agency on Water and Sanitation Issues
Service in Action 
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