In Gear | Rotary in Southern New Zealand Issue 1 | Page 13

The keys to our effectiveness are
the same as any other Rotary
club: service-minded members,
opportunities for fellowship, and
strong leadership.”
Dr Chris Bloore,
WASH E-Club founder

District 9980 set to launch
groundbreaking e-club
Zealand, and there is also representation from Africa, the
United States, Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
Chris says the new e-club builds on expertise from the
Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (WASRAG),
together with SmartAid research in hygiene and water aid,
which was co-funded by Rotary.
Aiming to link water, sanitation and hygiene expertise from
around the world, its mission is to address the appalling
plight of hundreds of millions of people who lack access to
safe, clean water for drinking and washing.
When it comes to sanitation, Chris says 2.4 billion people
worldwide live without an improved sanitation facility,
and, among them, almost 950 million still have no choice
but to defecate out in the open.

E-Club of WASH D9980
Check out Australian Rotarian Mark
Balla talking “toilet humour”.

The idea for the e-club was
sparked several years ago
when the focus was put on
applying humanitarian work
psychology to volunteer-based
aid programmes.
“The concept was that, by
carefully matching volunteers’
skills, experience and personality
to the real needs of sustainable
Dr Chris Bloore
water and sanitation projects,
the most benefit for time, money
an