March is Rotary’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Month. During March, we’re celebrating our commitment to create healthier communities by supplying clean water and sanitation facilities to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Rotary members work to ensure that everyone has access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene by 2030. The relevant goals are:

Build wells

Install rainwater harvesting systems

Improve sanitation facilities

Provide toilets and latrines

Educate communities on hand-washing and hygiene habits.

Clean water, sanitation and good hygiene is a human right. When people, especially children, have access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, they lead healthier and more successful lives.

We don’t just build wells and walk away. Rotary members integrate water, sanitation, and hygiene into education projects. When children learn about disease transmission and practice good hygiene, they miss less school. And they can take those lessons home to their families, expanding our impact.

Clean water is a basic human right that many are often denied. There are 2.5 billion people in the world that lack access to improved sanitation and 748 million people that don’t have clean drinking water. Nearly 1400 children die each day from diseases caused by lack of sanitation and unsafe water. When people have access to clean water, they live healthier and more productive lives.

In 2015, the United Nations introduced their new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty and promote prosperity while protecting the environment and addressing climate change. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 on water and sanitation encourages us to address universal access to drinking water and sanitation along with improved water management to protect ecosystems and build resiliency.