This Water Education corner offers interesting links and programs regarding water-related educational projects and awareness-raising activities for several age groups. Have you developed educational material about water-related issues? Your contributions and ideas are very welcome! For more information, send an email to the YWAT Secretariat.
Pumped up for peace - This is a new project being sponsored by the United Nations Cyberschoolbus to help communities around the globe that don't have access to safe drinking water. Recent estimates indicate that 1.1 billion people don't live near water that is safe to drink. Over 2 million people in developing countries, most of them children, die every year from diseases associated with a lack of safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene. Increasing the number of people that have access to safe drinking water is one of the Millenium Development Goals established by countries around the world to help eradicate poverty. But what can we do about it? How will the Pumped Up for Peace project help? The main aim of the project is to rally teachers and students around the world to raise money to help communities install filtration systems that will remove organisms (for example, bacteria, parasites, viruses, and cysts) that are contaminating their water or to install water pumps that will allow them to access clean water that is under the ground. Click here for more information.
Educating Young People About Water - Looking for ways to make a difference by beginning or improving a youth water education program? The materials on this web site will guide you through the process and will help you link water education to community action. Each guide addresses a different aspect of the process. Click here to go to 'Educating Young People About Water'.
Water, water, everywhere... is an educational site that digs deep into all aspects of water, a truly fascinating substance. From scientific aspects to health benefits and consequences to its sheer destructive force, this in-depth look at water will help provide the basic, fundamental education necessary to help not only save a life, but the lives of countless billions. Click here to go to 'Water, water, everywhere...'
BBC Water Website - An interesting water debate is going on on the BBC website. Also with many interesting water facts, water saving tips and a quiz. Have a look!
Youth resources online guide - An initiative of the International Council on National Youth Policy (ICNYP) in co-operation with UNESCO INFOYOUTH. The guide presents profiles, links, and contacts of organizations from various parts of the world which provide different types of resources for youth policies. The guide provides a manual of guidelines and a select bibliography for research on resources for youth policies. Click here to go to the youth resources online guide.
Water advocacy resources - On its web site the Freshwater Action Network offers useful water advocacy resources (in English only). Advocacy guides by Tearfund, WaterAid, WSSCC, Gender and Water Alliance and Care International are housed on the new page. Click here to go to the Freshwater Action Network's web site.
Comenius Freshwater Network - The Comenius Freshwater Network is managed by a group of partner organizations including schools, environmental organizations and in-service training establishments. One of the objectives of the Comenius Freshwater Network is to produce a set of guidelines for teachers. The Good Practice Guidelines are especially designed to help schools manage their freshwater work - whatever the age of their pupils. The guide offers interesting information about project management, press and communication and many other things. The Comenius network also works with YHGSA, the Yorkshire and Humber Global Schools Association. YHGSA organizes workshops about and has information on the establishment of a partnership with a school in another continent.
Simple toilet: construct a portable toilet in 15 minutes - Architect Andrej Pretnar has set up a website with instructions on how to use buckets and other waste materials to build a free household portable toilet, washbasin or bidet. This survival skill takes just an hour to learn and within 15 minutes you can convert a bucket into a toilet that will last a week before it needs to be emptied (based on 1/4 litre of water for flushing). This model could efficiently assist people living in poor conditions. The toilet can be connected to a bidet and washbasin to re-use the water. It can be improved to make a chemical toilet or latrine. The website includes illustrated instructions on construction and operation. A free CD-ROM with a video showing the assembly procedure and operation is also available. Read more
A Journey in the History of Water - The Centre for Development Studies at the University of Bergen, Norway has made a video entitled 'A journey in the history of water'. It is based on the television series "History of Water" which won the Grand Prix on 17th International Environment Film Festival. A Journey in the History of Water tells the dramatic story of how the struggle for fresh water has shaped human society to a remarkable extent. The video is available in 8 languages. To order it (DVD or VHS) or to have a look at the samples, click on watervideo. Click here to download free Windows Media Player.
Water Voices Documentary Series - Seven compelling stories about people who found local solutions to the worsening water crisis in Asia and the Pacific. Water is essential to all life. And yet one in three Asians lacks access to safe drinking water, and half the people living in Asia and the Pacific do not have access to adequate sanitation. Conflicts over sharing of scarce water resources are increasing at an alarming rate. The "Water Voices" documentary series recognizes the power of good examples and lessons learned to inspire 'home grown' solutions to water problems. To view the video clips go to the Asian Development Bank web site.
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