AECI Eco-Schools Water Education Project 2020 - Modderfontein

Aligning to national, continental and international agendas for systematic change

political facets of lifeonour planet. Thiswill develop the necessary skills and competencies we require to empower ordinary citizens to take action and work towards these common goals. We ensure inclusive and equitable education and promote lifelong learning opportunities which will contribute to better socio-economic landscapes in our communities. Connecting with concrete relevant social, environmental, economic and political issues, teachers, learners, gender inequality, management of water and sanitation, alternative sources of energy, sustainable economic growth and peace and justice at local and national levels. Integrating these 3 policies with the AECI Modderfontein Eco- schools project enabled a community in Tembisa to connect to complex agendas in the context of real-life situations which has meaning to them. The project enabled sustainability to be entrenched in the everyday realities of learners, students, teachers and the larger communities. Inparticular, the foci of theAECI fundedproject are climate change and water conservation. Climate Change is a big focus in the National Development Plan particularly for those vulnerable to the effects of climate change on health, livelihoods, water and food, with a disproportionate impact on the poor, especially women and children. While adapting to these changes, industries and households must reduce their negative impact on the environment. This will require far-reaching changes to the way people live and work. The project contributed to the nurturing of 21st century skills that the next generation of leaders will need for careers of the future. The project is also directly linked to UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals focussing on most of the goals shown below.

The Eco-Schools Programme and in particular the AECI Modderfontein project respond to important policy frameworks and agendas such as South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030 (NDP), the African Union’s Agenda 2063 as well as UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Globally, strategic developmental agendas are set to improve the quality of life of people as well as for different stakeholders to collectively work towards a common purpose and common good. The WESSA Eco-Schools programme is one such partner that focuses on teaching about these crucial plans and agendas so that people can gain a deeper understanding of how they can practically contribute to make them a reality. The agendas we particularly align ourselves with are the South African National Development Plan, the African Union’s 2063 Framework and the international 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The AECI Modderfontein Eco- schools project focused on six themes which are high on global and national development and environmental agenda. These include water, sanitation, waste, food security, climate change and energy efficiency. The environmental action projects that were implemented in relation to these themes align to the National Development Plan which calls for a just transition to a low carbon economy, waste minimisation and food & nutrition security. WESSA Eco-Schools believes that our practical approach to teaching and awareness about these three (3) agendas will foster a greater understanding about the interconnectedness between the social, economic, environmental and

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AECI Modderfontein 2020