AECI Eco-Schools Water Education Project Report 2020

AECI Eco-Schools Water Education Project Narrative Report

Water is an essential part of life. AECI’s focus on the provision of quality water to five schools and surrounding community contributed to the health and well being of the beneficiaries.

the year including dates for workshops, support visits, portfolio submission and award ceremony. It is essential for them to diarise and use these dates as milestones for their own implementation plans. We then visited each of the schools to assess their individual contexts, this informed a framework for the action plans for each of the schools . Where there were wheelie bins, like at Kekana and Phalesane Primary Schools we gave them signage and set up recycling centers. For the bathrooms we provided sanitation and hygiene educational posters. For the gardens we provided seedlings, portable JoJo tanks, water canisters and cups for classrooms. On the 17th of February we hosted an educator’s workshop which was attended by educators and groundsmen of each of the five schools . At this workshop we introduced participants to the water and health & wellbeing themes. We gave them project ideas and worked with them to customize it to the needs of their schools. Itireleng and Phalesane Primary Schools have reported several harvests which are used in their school nutrition programme . Learners and teachers are eager to work in the gardens and use the food gardens as teaching tools in their classroom lessons. The gardens are also a way to teach learners important lifeskills that will assist them to become food secure in the future. Learners are equipped and encouraged to initiate their own vegetable gardens at home. This in an effort to combat food insecurity in the community . They have also learnt the difference between water intensive crops and crops that doesn’t require that EDUCATOR’S WORKSHOP

The five schools were pre-selected by AECI. The project is part of a large-scale water security project with multiple partners including Gift of the Givers, Nulandis, FLOW and Improchem. WESSA, as leaders in environmental education, were invited to manage the education component through the Eco-Schools programme. AECI sponsored the installation of water provisioning equipment to the schools such as boreholes and water filtration units. This is serving the broader community in a region which has been plagued by water shortages for several years. WESSA provided support for the planning of the launch and hand over event held on the 21st of November 2019. The event was attendedbyDeputy Minister of Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, Pamela Tshwete, Chief Lleka Kekana from the Amandebele-a-Moletlane tribe, AECI Chief Executive, Mark Dytor, representatives from Gift of the Givers and WESSA. The water provisioning equipment such as borehole water systems, process water treatment systems, water tanks, chemistry kits and vegetable gardens were officially handed over to schools during a ribbon cutting ceremony. WESSA is therefore providing schools with essential education support to ensure the long-term sustainable use of the water provisioning equipment. LAUNCH

INSTALLATION WORKSHOP

Following the launch, we invited schools to an installation workshop where we introduced them to the Eco-Schools programme, the seven- step framework and associated themes. We provided an overview of our engagement for

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