Children’s water awareness program “Friends of Water”
Objective
Provide students in selected elementary schools across Albania with the essential building blocks to understand basic concepts about the sources and uses of water, with an emphasis on conservation and protection. The overall objective of the Children’s Water Awareness Program is to increase the awareness amongst children of the 3rd grade, regarding water issues, at an early age. The specific objectives of the program are to:
Provide students in selected elementary schools across Albania with the essential building blocks to understand basic concepts about the sources and uses of water, with an emphasis on conservation and protection.
Encourage the students in the Program to express what they have learned and valuedfrom this knowledge, by having them prepare a drawing that reflects one of the key learning principles delivered in the Program.
Objectively evaluate and select drawings for display at the local, regional and national level to build awareness in the various local communities of the importance of conserving and protecting our water resources, and using them responsibly, as seen through the eyes of children.
Overview
The Program is planned to be conducted over a period of 9 months, culminating at the Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Water Supply and Sewerage Association of Albania, which is held in November.
The program is conducted in three stages as follows:
First Stage
Signing of the official Cooperation Agreement between SHUKALB and the Albanian Ministry of Education and Sports on World Water Day, 22 March.
Second Stage
SHUKALB conducts an orientation training for teachers of elementary schools where the program is being implemented. Students receive the Children’s Learning Booklet and the teachers start to teach the material based on the Teacher’s Guideline. The children are asked to express express their talent and fantasy through drawings that expressed the importance of water and water conservation. These drawings,are collected by the respective schools and they are displayed at local exhibits. The 3 best drawings from each school are collected by SHUKALB and are presented at the “Water Through the Eyes of Children”exhibition, where a group of experts selects the 12 best drawings.
Final Stage
The 12 best drawings are presented at SHUKALB’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in November, where the 12 children, whose drawings are selected as the best ones become part of a Certification and Award Ceremony. Finally, the Association prepares and prints a calendar for next year, with one of each of the 12 best drawings, displayed for each month. The calendar is distributed throughout Albania.
History
Since its start, the program has reached today over 20,000 3rd grade students all over Albania. The program was recognized with an Award from the International Water Association, in 2008, as the best School Education Program.
Number of children involved in the Program through the years