With the motto ‘And What About Us?’, schools in Belgium, Burundi, Benin, Mali, Ecuador and Peru are uniting for a sustainable future. Join For Water makes it possible.
Two schools in Belgium and Burundi recently kicked off the ‘Youngsters Raise Their Voice For Water’ project with enthusiasm, with exciting expansion to Benin, Mali, Ecuador and Peru. Under the slogan ‘And What About Us?’ an inspiring story of global cooperation is unfolding.
Exchanging videos
In the first phase, students explored water challenges and exchanged short videos via an online platform. In them, young people exchange about challenges around water in their own environment and actions they take to deal with water sustainably at school. The young people themselves determined the content of the videos, filming themselves, writing the scenarios, etc. Their teachers, Greening Burundi and Join For Water guided them in terms of content and Equator provided technical guidance.
In a second phase, they went a step further and imagined a future where pure water plays a central role. They expressed their opinions and made an appeal to politicians and change makers to get them excited about climate challenges around water. The first workshops result in the slogan ‘And What About Us?’ in which the young people call for a sustainable future in which care for water is high on the agenda. They took their message to local politicians. In the next step, they address international policymakers.
Water knows no borders
This cross-border initiative not only raises awareness about water issues, but also promotes cultural exchange and cooperation. The project is growing across countries, with schools using their creativity to create a world where water is managed sustainably. The circumstances are different, but the theme is equally relevant in each of the countries where Join For Water operates. Water does not stop at borders.
‘And What About Us?’ promises to be a powerful call to local, national and international political leaders to commit to climate challenges around water. This project illustrates how young people, regardless of their geographical location, are working together to build a healthy, sustainable future for us all.
The project will run from March 2023 to June 2025. With support of Belgium’s Directorate General for Development Cooperation and 11.11.11.
Want to know more about this project? A question ? Send us an email: scholen@joinforwater.ngo .