THIS NEWSLETTER IS PUBLISHED BY THE ROTARY GLOBAL HISTORY FELLOWSHIP.
THE COMMENTS AND STORIES IN THIS NEWSLETTER DO NOT REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF ROTARY INTERNATIONAL,
THE ROTARY FOUNDATION OF ROTARY INTERNATIONAL OR ANY OTHER ROTARY RELATED ORGANIZATION.
A monthly feature of the Rotary Global History Fellowship Issue #157 March 15, 2015
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter … A Newsletter for Rotary Leaders
UN Health Agency Urges Europe to Step Up Measles Vaccination
Survey: Parents Increasingly Ask Doctors to Delay Vaccines
Big U.S. Majority Favors Mandatory Vaccinations: Reuters/Ipsos Poll
Most Doctors Give In to Requests by Parents to Alter Vaccine Schedules
Oregon Considers Banning Most Vaccine Exemptions
The Dangers of Vaccine Denial
Unsure You Need a Measles Shot? Get Vaccinated
Measles and the Vaccine Opponents
Measles: Perilous but Preventable
Reckless Rejection of the Measles Vaccine
2nd Commuter With Measles Prompts California Transit Warning
Three Infected With Measles at Las Vegas Seafood Restaurant
Commuter With Measles Also Dined at Bay Area Restaurant
Experts Blame Anti-Vaccine Lobby for Bosnia Measles Outbreak
Measles Epidemic Is Spreading in Central Africa
THE
DANGERS
OF
VACCINE
DENIAL
Rotarians worldwide are well positioned to share accurate
vaccination data in their communities alerting families to the
importance of mandatory vaccinations. Vaccine denial is
dangerous and let’s call this out as the nonsense it is. If we
are going to denounce the Taliban for blocking polio
vaccinations, we should be just as quick to
stand up to health illiteracy in our midst.
Refusing to vaccinate your children is not personal
choice but it is public irresponsibility. You no more have the
right to risk others by failing to vaccinate than you do by
sending your child to school with a hunting knife.
Vaccination isn’t a private choice but a civic obligation.
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 2
VACCINES, MEDICAL EXPERTS SAY, SAVE MORE
LIVES THAN ANY PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURE
OTHER THAN CLEAN WATER AND SEWAGE.
WE NEED IMMUNIZATIONS
Newborns, babies, and toddlers are
constantly being exposed to germs from
their parents, other adults, brothers and
sisters, people in stores, and other
children in child care. With travel easier
than ever, you and your baby can be
exposed to diseases from other countries
without you knowing.
For a few weeks after they are born,
babies will have some protection, which
was passed from their mother through the
placenta before birth. After a short period
of time, this natural protection goes away.
WE NEED CLEAN WATER
AND PROPER SANITATION
Clean water is a basic need for
human beings. When people, especially
children, have access to clean water, they
live healthier and more productive lives.
However, at least 3,000 children die each
day from diseases caused by unsafe
water, which is what motivates our Rotary
members to build wells, install rainwater
harvesting systems, and teach community
members how to maintain new
infrastructure.
While very few people die of thirst,
millions die from preventable waterborne
diseases, providing the impetus for our
members to also improve sanitation
facilities in undeveloped countries.
Members start by providing toilets and
latrines that flush into a sewer or safe
enclosure and then add education
programs to promote hand-washing and
other good hygiene habits.
IMMUNIZATIONS help protect
infants, children, and adults against
many infections that used to be
much more common.
EXAMPLES INCLUDE tetanus,
diphtheria, mumps, measles,
pertussis (whooping cough),
meningitis, and polio.
Newer IMMUNIZATIONS
PROTECT CHILDREN AND
ADULTS against other types of
meningitis, pneumonia, and ear
infections.
Many of these infections can
cause serious or LIFETHREATENING
ILLNESSES, and
may lead to lifelong disabilities.
Because of immunizations, all of
these illnesses are now rare. Issue #157 Page 3 RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 4
Dr. Paul A. Offit, MD,
Professor of Pediatrics,
University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine said, “Last
year (2014) in the United States
there were approximately 650
cases of measles. This year, as
of February 6, 2015, there have
been 121 cases of measles in
17 states. At that rate, we are
going to have twice the number
of cases of measles as we had
last year, and last year was the biggest measles epidemic we have had in 20
years.” Major outbreaks have also been occurring worldwide.
SOME PARENTS ARE CHOOSING NOT TO VACCINATE THEIR CHILDREN AND IN
SOME AREAS IN THE WORLD VACCINE IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE
In the U.S. this is happening because parents are choosing not to vaccinate
their children. The problem now is that we have reached the tipping point.
Unvaccinated children put other children with whom they come in contact at
risk. The state of Washington (USA) has recently introduced a bill to eliminate
philosophical exemptions. The state of California has done the same thing.
THE BATTLE IS ABOUT BALANCE BETWEEN THE
RIGHTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL VS.
THE GOOD OF SOCIETY.
The battle now is about rights — that
balance between the rights of the individual vs. the
good of society. Is it your right to catch and
transmit a potentially fatal infection?
Rotarians can (must help) educate those
folks that do not understand the terrible
consequences of denying vaccination.
MEASLES OUTBREAKS: THERE ARE TOO
MANY UNVACCINATED CHILDREN Issue #157 Page 5
IS IT YOUR RIGHT TO CATCH AND TRANSMIT
A POTENTIALLY FATAL INFECTION?
IT IS IMPORTANT FOR HEALTHCARE
PROVIDERS AND FAMILIES TO BE ABLE TO
RECOGNIZE MEASLES.
Healthcare providers should consider
measles in patients who present with febrile
rash illness and clinically compatible measles
symptoms (like cough, Coryza, or
conjunctivitis) especially if they:
• Recently traveled abroad or were exposed
to someone who recently travelled abroad;
• Have not been vaccinated against measles;
or
• Live in a community where measles is
currently occurring.
IF YOU SUSPECT THAT SOMEONE HAS MEASLES,
YOU SHOULD ACT QUICKLY.
• Promptly isolate the patient to avoid disease
transmission. Patients with measles are infectious
from 4 days before through 4 days after rash
onset.
• Immediately report the suspected measles case to
the health department.
Health department employees must obtain
specimens for testing from patients with
suspected measles, including viral specimens for
genotyping, which can help determine the source
of the virus.
MEASLES IS PREVENTABLE THROUGH USE
OF A SAFE, HIGHLY EFFECTIVE VACCINE
Symptoms of fever and rash RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 6
REMARK ON HPV VACCINE
COULD RIPPLE FOR YEARS
The American Academy of Pediatrics
corrected a false statements made that HPV
vaccine is dangerous and can cause Autism
and mental retardation. There is absolutely
no scientific validity to this statement. Since
the vaccine has been introduced, more than
35 million doses have been administered,
and it has an excellent safety record.
During a recent debate a political
candidate called the HPV vaccine to prevent
cervical cancer “dangerous.”
Medical experts fired back quickly. Her
statements were false, they said, emphasizing
that the vaccine is safe and can save lives. The
political candidate was soon on the defensive,
acknowledging that she was not a doctor or a
scientist.
But “The harm to public health
may have already been done. When
politicians or celebrities raise alarms
about vaccines, even false alarms,
vaccination rates drop. These things
always set you back about three years,
which is exactly what we can’t afford,”
said Dr. Rodney E. Willoughby, a
professor of pediatrics at the Medical
College of Wisconsin and a member of
the committee on infectious diseases of
the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The harm to public health may
have already been done. When
politicians or celebrities raise
alarms about vaccines, even false
alarms, vaccination rates drop. Issue #157 Page 7
Immunizations teach your body how to defend itself
when germs such as viruses or bacteria invade it.
They expose you to a very small, very safe amount of a
virus or bacteria that has been weakened or killed.
Your immune system then learns to recognize and attack
the infection if you are exposed to it later in life.
As a result, you will either not become ill or have a milder
infection. This is a natural way to deal with infectious
diseases.
Four different types of vaccines are currently available:
1. Live virus vaccines use the weakened (or attenuated)
form of the virus. The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
vaccine and the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine are examples of
this type.
2. Killed (inactivated) vaccines are made from a protein or
other small pieces taken from a virus or bacteria. Influenza
shots are an example of this type of vaccine.
3. Toxoid vaccines contain a toxin or chemical made by the
bacteria or virus. They make you immune to the harmful effects of
the infection, instead of to the infection itself. Examples are the
diphtheria and tetanus vaccines.
4. Biosynthetic vaccines contain human-made substances are
very similar to pieces of the virus or bacteria. The Hib
( Haemophilus influenzae type B) conjugate vaccine is one
example.
WHY WE NEED IMMUNIZATIONS
Newborns, babies, and toddlers are constantly being
exposed to germs from their parents, other adults, brothers and
sisters, people in stores, and other children in child care. With travel
easier than ever, you and your baby can be exposed to diseases
from other countries without you knowing.
For a few weeks after they are born, babies will have some
protection, which was passed from their mother through the
placenta before birth. After a short period of time, this natural
HOW IMMUNIZATIONS WORK
Continued on next page RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 8
protection goes away.
Immunizations help protect infants, children, and adults against many
infections that used to be much more common.
Examples include measles, tetanus, diphtheria, mumps, pertussis
(whooping cough), meningitis, and polio.
Newer immunizations protect children and adults against other types of
meningitis, pneumonia, and ear infections.
Many of these infections can cause serious or life-threatening illnesses,
and may lead to lifelong disabilities. Because of immunizations, all of these
illnesses are now rare.
SAFETY OF IMMUNIZATIONS
Many parents are worried that some
vaccines are not safe and may harm their
baby or young child. They may ask their
doctor or nurse to wait, or even refuse to
have the vaccine. However, it is important
to also think about the risks of not having the vaccination.
Some people believe that vaccines cause autism or ADHD. They are
worried that a small amount of mercury (called thimerosal) that is used as a
preservative in multidose vaccines will cause these problems. Multidose
means that many doses of vaccine come in one bottle.
However, studies have NOT shown this risk to be true.
Experts such as The American Academy of Pediatrics, and The Institute of
Medicine (IOM) agree that no vaccine or part of any vaccine is
responsible for the number of children who are currently being diagnosed
with autism. They conclude that the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks.
If you are still worried about the risk of autism or ADHD, ask your
doctor or nurse about single-dose forms of the vaccine. All of the routine
childhood vaccines are available in single-dose forms, and they do not
contain added mercury.
IMMUNIZATIONS (continued)Issue #157 Page 9
THE SKELETON (THE GOOD BONES) OF
A ROTARY GLOBAL GRANT
Richard Dangler (Past President of the Edwards Rotary Club in
Colorado, USA) initiated the Club’s “Water and Sanitation”
project in Kosovo.
Rotarian Dangler spent quite some time in Kosovo in
2008-09 as the chief water engineer for International Relief
and Development, helping to install a $12 million potablewater
system in Kosovo that was funded by USAID.
This Water and Sanitation project brought clean water and modern
toilet facilities to six area schools with the worst conditions. The Edwards
RC $50,000 project was funded by a Rotary Foundation Global Grant.
Dangler recalls that those schools' water and sanitation facilities were
"ghastly" with flooded commodes; dirty water for washing; and crumbling
walls, floors, and roofs that made the facilities almost unusable
The Edwards Rotary Club Global Grant project replaced all the
commodes and sinks, repaired leaking roofs, and installed floor tiles,
fixtures, and new septic tanks.
You can set the course for your Rotary Global Grant. The Rotary
Foundation’s World Fund provides a minimum of $15,000 and maximum of
$200,000 towards Global Grants. Clubs and districts contribute District
Designated Funds (DDF) and/or cash contributions that the World Fund
matches. DDF is matched at 100% and cash is matched at 50%.
SO, HOW CAN YOU INITIATE A ROTARY GLOBAL GRANT?
LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO FUND A ROTARY FOUNDATION
GLOBAL GRANT ON PAGES 22 AND 23. RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 10
Led by its Past President Richard (Dick)
Dangler and through a $50,000.00 Rotary
Foundation Global Grant, the Rotary clubs of
Edwards, Colorado, USA, and Peja, Kosovo,
brought clean water and new bathroom facilities to
six area schools in Peja.
Blighted schools in the mountain city of Peja
in western Kosovo are a reminder of the ethnic
strife and war that ravaged this area in the 1990s.
RESTORING RUINED
SANITATION FACILITIES
To restore ruined sanitation facilities in some
of those schools, local Rotary Club members
recently partnered with their counterparts from
Colorado, USA. Though residents have been
slowly rebuilding the city's infrastructure after
years of neglect under earlier governments, most
resources are going to improve roads, rebuild
homes, and create new businesses. Little money
remains to restore the schools.
As a result, students have fallen ill, stayed
home from school, and been unable to focus on
their education, says Neshad Asllani, a member of
the Rotary Club of Peja and a physician with the
Health Center of Excellence in Kosovo. "Healthy
students make better students," he says.
THE ROTARY CLUB OF EDWARDS,
COLORADO* JOINS A PEJA, KOSOVO
ROTARY CLUB TO RESTORE SANITATION
IN BLIGHTED LOCAL SCHOOLS
*The Rotary
Clubs of Edwards
and the Eagle RC
in Eagle County,
Colorado were
both sponsored
by the Vail
Rotary Club.
Continued ...
Edwards (Colorado) Rotary Club
Past President Richard DanglerIssue #157 Page 11
Last year (2014), Dr. Asllani’s club in
Kosovo joined the Rotary Club of Edwards,
Colorado, USA, to bring clean water and
modern toilet facilities to six area schools with
the worst conditions. The $50,000 project was
funded by a Rotary Foundation Global Grant
and completed in September 2014. It replaced
all the commodes and sinks, repaired leaking
roofs, and installed floor tiles, fixtures, and new
septic tanks.
EDWARDS ROTARY PAST PRESIDENT
RICHARD DANGLER LEADS PROJECT
The project was initiated by Edwards
Rotary member Past Club President Richard
Dangler, who'd spent time in the area in 2008-
09 as the chief water engineer for International
Relief and Development, helping to install a $12
million potable-water system in Kosovo that was
funded by USAID to 86,000 villagers. Although
that system benefited most homes and
businesses, the pipes didn't extend to schools in
rural areas. Dangler recalls that those schools'
water and sanitation facilities were "ghastly,"
with flooded commodes; dirty water for washing;
and crumbling walls, floors, and roofs that made
the facilities almost unusable.
Dangler traveled to Peja in 2013 to plan
the project there with local Rotary members. He
says the community was instrumental in
carrying it out.
BEORE PHOTOS
Continued ... RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 12
ACCOUNTABILITY AND
SUSTAINABILITY
"We held planning meetings
where 100 people would show up,"
says Dangler. "The community were
incredibly engaged. They showed a
desire and readiness to be included in
planning, designing, and maintaining
post-construction tasks. Out of all the
war-torn and underdeveloped places
in the world I've worked, I found the
Kosovo people had the greatest
willingness to help themselves."
LOCAL STUDENTS ARE
ALSO INVOLVED
The project also calls for water
and sanitation education in the six
schools. Students designed posters
promoting proper hygiene practices
and will learn in science classes about
diseases transmitted by unsanitary
habits. The Peja club will create health
committees made up of faculty and
students for each school. Members
also will oversee maintenance of the
toilet facilities and devise sanitary and
hygiene awareness campaigns to
educate the entire community.
AFTER PHOTOS
Continued ... Issue #157 Page 13
Dr. Asllani notes that
although the war's impact lingers,
projects like this one are helping
to restore area residents' spirit as
well as the region's infrastructure.
"The goodwill of NGOs and
organizations like Rotary has
helped our people overcome their
animosities from the past by
establishing projects that look to
the future."
Adds Dangler: "The people
who lived through this conflict want
to put this period behind them. At
the top of the local community's
priority list was improving the
sanitary conditions of the schools.
Focusing on the children and their
education was the best way for
them to look toward the future
rather than to the past."
This mural was painted by a student
that graduated from this school who
came back several years later. Pride
goes a long way in sustainability.
The Vail Rotary Club
joined with the Edwards
RC with a R500
contribution -- which
with the matching
funds added $1,750 as
an important partner of
the project showing the
power of Rotary Global
Grants and matching
grants and
partnerships.
This Global Grant
totaled $50,000 U.S. RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 14
WHAT IS WASRAG?
The Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action
group was formed in 2007 as a group
of Rotarians, recognized by Rotary International,
which focused on water & sanitation projects.
Rotarians are uniquely qualified to deliver
sustainable solutions. They understand the culture
and values of the local communities to which they
belong. They are attuned to political
considerations and can pinpoint problems before
they become hurdles.
The world is discovering that effective
programs take 3 to 5 years to be sustainable –
local community engagement and appropriate
technologies are keys to success.
Solutions need to consider complex realities:
geography, geology, climate, local culture for
example. Ensuring a project is based on best
practices isn’t easy, requiring skills often not
readily available to Rotary Clubs.
Wasrag was created to provide the knowhow,
consistency and credibility essential to
success over the long term.
JOIN A ROTARIAN
ACTION GROUP
(RAG)
A Rotarian Action Group is
an autonomous group of
Rotarians, family members,
and Rotaractors who are
experts in a particular field,
such as microcredit or water
and sanitation. Group
members share their
expertise by collaborating
with clubs and districts on
service projects. Issue #157 Page 15
THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE STRATEGIC
PLAN OF WASRAG IS TO ENSURE BOTH
SUSTAINABLE WATER AND SANITATION
PROJECTS AND TO PURSUE THE AMBITIOUS
UNITED NATIONS MILLENNIUM GOAL OF: ...
… “BY 2015 REDUCE BY 50% THE PROPORTION OF
PEOPLE WITHOUT ACCESS TO SAFE WATER AND SANITATION.”
UN estimates indicate 1.5 billion people lack access to safe
water and 2.4 billion people have no access to sanitation.
Other objectives include:
Develop formal strategic partnerships that allow the
collaboration and coordination needed to jointly plan
and implement major regional projects
Build on successful models based on Rotary projects and those of
other NGOs
Build the delivery capacity in the countries of need
Prioritize programs to match resources and needs
Create local (in-country) capacity and monitor for success RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 16
FLYING TOILETS
A flying toilet is a facetious name for the use
of plastic bags for defecation, which are then thrown
into ditches, on the roadside, or simply as far away
as possible.
Flying toilets are particularly associated with slums
surrounding Nairobi, Kenya, specially Kibera. According
to a report from the United Nations Development
Program launched in Cape Town on 9 November 2006,
"two in three people [in Kibera] identify the flying
toilet as the primary mode of excreta disposal
available to them." This contradicts a Kenyan
government report which indicates that 99% of Nairobi
residents have access to a sanitation service. The UNDP
report blames a taboo against bureaucrats and
politicians discussing toilets, while others see a
reluctance among the Nairobi authorities to formalize
what they characterize as an "illegal settlement”.
Piles of polyethene bags gather on roofs and attract flies.
Some of them burst open upon impact and/or clog drainage
systems. If they land on fractured water pipes, a drop in water
pressure can cause the contents
to be sucked into the water
system. People can also be hit
by the bags as they are blindly
tossed. In the rainy season,
drainage contaminated with
excrement can enter residences;
some children even swim in it.
Such close contact leads to
diseases such as diarrhea, skin
disorders, typhoid
fever and malaria.
The practice of defecating
outside, away from one's house,
especially in the dark, causes
concern for one's personal safety
as well, especially among girls
and women.[
Flying toilet and other waste in a
slum in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti.
A young boy sits over an open sewer Issue #157 Page 17
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in
his Independence Day speech, vowed to
eliminate open defecation, India took notice.
After all, it was unusual for a prime minister to use the bully pulpit in India to
exhort people to end this appalling practice and build more toilets.
A staggering 70% of Indians living in villages - or
some 550 million people - defecate in the open. Even
13% of urban households do so. Open defecation
continues to be high despite decades of sustained
economic growth - and despite the obvious and
glaring health hazards.
The situation is so bad that open defecation is more
common in India than in that are poorer countries such
as Bangladesh, Kenya, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Malawi, Burundi and Rwanda.
But building toilets may not be enough to end open defecation in India, a new
study has found.
A team of researchers asked people in 3,235 rural households in five north Indian
states where they defecate and their attitudes to it.
OPEN DEFECATION IS VERY COMMON
Some 40% of Indians live in these states - Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. They also account for 45% of households without a
toilet. Also, a third of all people worldwide who defecate in the open live in these
five states.
The study found that people in households with working toilets continue to
defecate in the open, and that toilets provided by the state are especially unlikely
to be used.
"In short," the study says, "we find that many people have a revealed preference
for open defecating such that merely providing latrine access without promoting
latrine use is unlikely to importantly reduce open defecation."
The study found open defecation is very common, even in households with toilets.
Toilet use did not necessarily increase with prosperity: in Haryana, one of India's
richest states, most people in the villages continue to defecate in the open. Also,
More than
500 million
Indians
defecate in
the open
WHY INDIA'S SANITATION CRISIS
NEEDS MORE THAN TOILETS
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
Continued on next page RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 18
India needs a massive campaign on toilet use
men living in households with toilets are more likely
to defecate in the open than women.
Why do so many Indians still prefer not to use
toilets, even if they are available?
The survey found a range of replies - most said
they found it "pleasurable, comfortable, or
convenient". Others said it "provides them an
opportunity to take a morning walk, see their fields
and take in the fresh air". Still others regarded
open defecation as "part of a wholesome, healthy
virtuous life".
"Building toilets is not enough. What you need
is a widespread motivation and information
campaign," says Dr Bindeshwar Pathak of
Sulabh, a non-profit organization which has
built 1.3 million household toilets in villages.
MP and writer Shashi Tharoor says Indians also
have a cultural problemwhen it comes to sanitation:
"We are a nation full of people who live in
immaculate homes where we bathe twice a day,
but think nothing of littering public spaces, spitting
on walls, dumping garbage in the open and
urinating and defecating in public, because those
spaces are not 'ours'."
So how do you promote behavioral and cultural
change?
India, researchers say, "needs a massive
campaign to change sanitation preferences" and
promote toilets by linking sanitation behavior with
health. One of the ways it can be done is by
raising an army of sanitation workers and
campaigners in the villages to spread the
message.
Punishment can also help, within reason: In a part
of Haryana where Sulabh has built 100 household
toilets a village council chief fines people caught
defecating in the open.
OPEN DEFECATION …..
Mt. Everest Is Covered In Human Poop
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Human waste left by
climbers on Mount Everest has become a problem
that is causing pollution and threatening to spread
disease on the world's highest peak, the chief of
Nepal's mountaineering association said Tuesday.
The more than 700 climbers and guides who spend
nearly two months on Everest's slopes each climbing
season leave large amounts of feces and urine, and
the issue has not been addressed, Ang Tshering told
reporters. He said Nepal's government needs to get
the climbers to dispose of the waste properly so the
mountain remains pristine.
"Climbers usually dig holes in the snow for their toilet
use and leave the human waste there," Tshering said,
adding that the waste has been "piling up" for years
around the four camps.
At the base camp, where there are more porters,
cooks and support staff during the climbing season,
there are toilet tents with drums to store the waste.
Once filled, the drums are carried to a lower area,
where the waste is properly disposed.
Dawa Steven Sherpa, who has been leading Everest
cleanup expeditions since 2008, said some climbers
carry disposable travel toilet bags to use in the higher
camps. "It is a health hazard and the issue needs to
be addressed," he said.
Nepal's government has not come up with a plan yet
to tackle the issue of human waste. But starting this
season, officials stationed at the base camp will
strictly monitor garbage on the mountain, said Puspa
Raj Katuwal, the head of the government's
Mountaineering Department.
The government imposed new rules last year
requiring each climber to bring down to the base
camp 8 kilograms (18 pounds) of trash — the amount
it estimates a climber discards along the route.
Climbing teams must leave a $4,000 deposit that they
lose if they don't comply with the regulations, Katuwal
said.
Continued …. Issue #157 Page 19
FOOD SECURITY: IS IT TIME TO
RECOGNIZE THE NUTRITIONAL
VALUE OF HUMAN WASTE?
URINE AND FECES CONTAIN PRECIOUS NUTRIENTS THAT COULD FUEL
FARMING. FORTUNATELY NGOS ARE GETTING OVER THE YUCK FACTOR
The average person produces 500 liters of urine and feces in a year, which contain enough nutrients
to grow the crops that person would need to feed themselves entirely for that year.
“Human waste is filled with nutrients from the
food we eat, nutrients that were taken from
the soil as the food was grown and harvested,
and the same nutrients that are essential for
restoring soil productivity post-harvest,”
explains Sasha Kramer, director of Haitibased
not-for-profit Soil, an initiative that
transforms human waste into resources.
The challenge for the development sector is
recognizing human waste’s economic value to
improve food security and building a business
case to support it in under-resourced
communities.
IDENTIFYING THE CHALLENGES
Kramer explains that the primary obstacle to this
potentially win-win situation is health concerns.
Any bacteria that pose a danger to humans need
to be eliminated from the waste during the treatment process. “When human waste composting is
carried out at the household level it becomes more difficult,” she says.
The other obstacle is overcoming end-users’ fears over, or objections to, the reuse of fecal matter.
NGOs (RI) could play a key role in getting communities to discuss the taboo subject and educating
them on the potential of poo power.
“Given this natural aversion to human waste, it takes rigorous research, careful implementation and
skillful social marketing to overcome the ‘yuck’ factor,” says Kramer. “That said, we found that, in
Haiti, once people are able to see, smell and touch the final product they are more than eager to test
it in their gardens.”
The organization treats 240,000 US gallons of waste every year and has sold 75,000 US gallons of
compost, Kramer says. It’s been bought by nurseries, backyard gardeners and large-scale
agricultural projects run by non-profits to improve reforestation and soil quality. Kramer says human
waste-based compost can bring “huge economic returns for farmers growing high-value crops, such
as spinach and peppers”.
Soil, an NGO in Haiti that transforms human waste
into fertilizer, runs educational events for children
about ecological sanitation Photograph: Soil/PR
Continued on next page RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 20
FEEDING THE FOOD CHAIN
Sanergy, an organization that focuses on improving sanitation in urban
slums in Nairobi, is working with agricultural start-up AgriProtein to
recycle human feces into animal feed via insects. Since 2010,
AgriProtein has been working on developing technology that sees
insects fed on streams of bio-waste, including slaughterhouse waste,
and then processed into flakes which can be fed to pigs and sheep.
According to Teun Veldkamp, a senior researcher at the Centre for
Animal Nutrition at Wageningen University, insects are ideal because
they can feed on any bio-waste.
The collaboration, known as the BioCycle, is still in its infancy. Tests
are ongoing to ensure that any feed produced from insects that have
been fed on fecal waste is fit for human consumption further down food chain. Once the tests have
been completed, the focus will be on how to turn into a sustainable business that can help locals to
make money and improve community sanitation.
The BioCycle’s program me manager, Marc Lewis, says local NGOs could help to roll out the
technology into rural communities. “NGOs can provide the training around small-scale fly rearing
practices,” says Lewis. “This will help farmers to better utilize waste for the benefit of animal rearing.”
By building their capacity to provide support to
smallholders, NGOs can help communities avoid
the potential health problems of composting at
home without any safeguards. They can also
provide smallholders with market opportunities they
might not otherwise have access to.
CREATING A BUSINESS MODEL
Another initiative to recycle human waste
is Peepoople. It’s built around the Peepoo bag, a
personal, single-use, self-sanitizing, fully
biodegradable toilet that can be used in postdisaster
situations and others where no other
sanitation is available. It has a strong business
model: local women can become micro-entrepreneurs by selling bags; customers receive a
monetary incentive for each bag that is returned after use and the human waste collected is turned
into a sanitized solution that is sold to farmers as a cheap fertilizer.
Peepoople is also developing is a piece of machinery that will help farmers spread fertilizer –
traditional methods involve spreading it by hand which is a barrier to acceptance of using humanwaste
compost.
“Normally, fecal waste is just a very difficult waste, but properly used, it becomes an asset,” says
founder Anders Wilhelmson. “You get rid of a problem and gain a possibility.”
READ MORE LIKE THIS:
• ‘We need to talk about open defecation’
• Poo power: turning human waste into clean energy in Kenya’s slums
• What do toilets have to do with nutrition? More than you might thinkIssue #157 Page 21
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE:
INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT TOPS LIST
OF GLOBAL RISKS IN 2015
TOP 5 GLOBAL RISKS IN TERMS OF LIKELIHOOD
1. Interstate conflict with regional consequences (geopolitical risk)
2. Extreme weather events (environmental risk)
3. Failure of national governance (geopolitical risk)
4. State collapse or crisis (geopolitical risk)
5. High structural unemployment or underemployment (economic risk)
Top 5 Global Risks in Terms of Impact
1. Water crises (societal risk)
2. Rapid and massive spread of infectious diseases (societal risk)
3. Weapons of mass destruction (geopolitical risk)
4. Interstate conflict with regional consequences (geopolitical risk)
5. Failure of climate-change adaptation (environmental risk) RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 22
GLOBAL GRANTS
Global grants support large international activities
with sustainable, measurable outcomes in
Rotary’s areas of focus. Grant sponsors form
international partnerships that respond to real
community needs.
WHAT THEY SUPPORT
Global grants can fund these activities:
Humanitarian projects
Scholarships for graduate-level academic studies
Vocational training teams (VTT), which are groups of professionals who
travel abroad either to teach local professionals about a particular field or to
learn more about their own
HOW TO USE THEM
A key feature of global grants is partnership, between the district or
club where the activity is carried out and a district or club in another country.
Both sponsors must be qualified before they can submit an application.
To be successful, your application must:
Be sustainable and include plans for long-term success after the global
grant funds have been spent
Include measurable goals
Align with one of our areas of focus
Respond to real community needs
Actively involve Rotarians and community members
Meet the eligibility requirements in the grants terms and conditions
NOTE: Applications are accepted throughout the year and reviewed as
they are received.
HOW GLOBAL GRANTS ARE FUNDED
The minimum budget for a global grant activity is $30,000. The
Foundation’s World Fund provides a minimum of $15,000 and maximum
of $200,000. Clubs and districts contribute District Designated Funds (DDF)
and/or cash contributions that the World Fund matches. DDF is matched at
100% and cash is matched at 50%. Issue #157 Page 23
ROTARY’s SIX AREAS OF FOCUS
We have identified specific causes to target to maximize our local and
global impact. At the same time, we understand that each community has its
own unique needs and concerns.
Through global grants and other resources, we help clubs focus their
service efforts in the following areas.
PROMOTING PEACE
Today, 42 million people are displaced by
armed conflict or persecution. Through our
partnerships with several leading universities,
Rotary Peace Fellows develop the skills to
strengthen peace efforts, train local leaders to
prevent and mediate conflict, and support longterm
peace building in areas affected by conflict.
We provide up to 100 peace fellowships per year
at Rotary Peace Centers.
FIGHTING DISEASE
More than 100 million people are pushed
into poverty each year because of medical costs.
We aim to improve and expand access to low-cost
and free health care in underdeveloped areas. Our
members educate and mobilize communities to
help prevent the spread of major diseases such
as polio, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. Many of our
projects ensure that medical training facilities are
located where the workforce lives.
PROVIDING CLEAN WATER
More than 2.5 billion people lack access to
adequate sanitation facilities. At least 3,000
children die each day from diarrheal diseases
caused by unsafe water. Our projects give
communities the ability to develop and maintain
sustainable water and sanitation systems and
support studies related to water and sanitation.
SAVING MOTHERS AND CHILDREN
At least 7 million children under the age of
five die each year due to malnutrition, poor health
care, and inadequate sanitation. To help reduce
this rate, we provide immunizations and
antibiotics to babies, improve access to essential
medical services, and support trained health care
providers for mothers and their children. Our
projects ensure sustainability by empowering the
local community to take ownership of health care
training programs.
SUPPORTING EDUCATION
Sixty-seven million children worldwide
have no access to education and more than 775
million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. Our
goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities
to support basic education and literacy, reduce
gender disparity in education, and increase adult
literacy.
GROWING LOCAL ECONOMIES
Nearly 1.4 billion employed people live on
less than $1.25 a day. We carry out service
projects that enhance economic and community
development and develop opportunities for
decent and productive work for young and old.
We also help strengthen local entrepreneurs and
community leaders, particularly women, in
impoverished communities.A monthly feature of the Rotary Global History Fellowship (RGHF)
Jeetendra Sharma
Editor in Chief
Jeeturotary@gmail.com
William “Bill” Pollard
Associate Editor
william.pollard@farmersbankva.com
Edward “Eddie” Blender
Publisher
EBlender@aol.com
Sign up for our free RGHF newsletters at http://www.historyfeatures.org and use http://www.historysearch.org to find Rotary's Global History
RGHF’s OUR
FOUNDATION
NEWSLETTER
MARCH 15, 2015, #157
