The Wadi Environmental Science Centre (WESC) is an Egyptian non-profit organization (NGO) dedicated to progressive outdoor environmental education. The goal of WESC is to complement and build on what is currently taught to Egyptian students in the field of science. Our students learn from cooperative, collaborative, hands-on, and inquiry-based discovery. We teach students about their environmental and cultural heritage through the earth sciences: water, renewable energy, waste management, pollution impacts, wildlife, botany, environmental sustainability, and biodiversity.

At WESC, we see an opportunity to combine two critical issues facing Egypt: Water and Education.

Water: The Nile River is the main water source for ten nations and provides a single supply for 99% of Egypt?s water needs. As more Nile nations develop their economies, expand agricultural production, and face rapidly increasing growing populations, the need for water in the region will increase. Egypt?s international water allotment was set at 55 million cubic meters in 1956, and so remains today, even though Egypt?s population has increased from 58 million then to 72 million now (1, 2, 3). Millions of Egyptian citizens, particularly the poor, live in unsanitary conditions in regards to access to clean water and waste water disposal. Statistics show that 80% of deaths in Egypt are related to sickness from contaminated water intake (4). Even though an awareness of the problem exists, how many children really understand the cause, the means to improve their lives, and more importantly, what they can do as individuals? As families? As communities or villages? Or as part of a globally responsible society?

Education: The government recognizes the urgent need for education. At the September 2004 conference on reforming Egypt's education system, President Hosni Mubarak stated that curricula, teaching methods, and teacher skills must all be improved and a culture of scientific research must be supported (5). "The government, education boards, civil society, and the private sector must all work together to achieve our shared goal of raising the standard of education," Mubarak said (5).

At WESC, we recognize the urgency for Egyptian educational reform and see the creation of a wider and deeper understanding and consensus of water awareness amongst children as a valuable opportunity to bridge the gap between education and the real world. In this way, we can have a capacity building impact on Egypt?s people by changing attitudes and actions about water use and appropriate, sustainable water technologies and policies. We hope to help build the foundation for further water and sanitation progress as outlined in the United Nation?s Decade on Water: ?Water for Life? 2005-2015.

Outline of Programme Activities

1) Assess the current water curricula offered in Egyptian schools. Identify successful components, barriers to learning, and needed improvements. Revise and finalize WESC water curriculum.
2) Further develop WESC water facilities (water purification system, wetlands, dry toilets, etc.).
3) Work with partners to identify and invite the ?core student group? to participate in our programme from Egyptian National and Experimental schools in the Nile Valley and Alexandria, the Zagizig area, and the village of Abu El Nomros
4) Work with partners to identify participating villages along the Nile and canals who will receive our water awareness outreach programme. Get cooperation of villagers.
5) Develop ?Water Kits? as teaching and educational tools for village schools. The kits will offer relevant and state-of-the-art materials to increase awareness and highlight needed changes in personal and community behaviors. The kits will be used by the ?core students? to instruct village students, teachers, and community members how to evaluate local water problems and help find solutions.
6) Teach ?core student group? (60 students total) about water awareness and how to approach water problems in an environmentally conscientious and sustainable way via a series of three workshops.
7) Bring select members of the ?core student group? into nine villages to educate village students, parents, community members, schools, local NGOs, and village leaders about water awareness, management, consumption, and conservation. This team will encourage dialog and demonstrate possible solutions to reasonable water problems faced by selected villages.
8) Attempt to bring water related women?s issues and health concerns to the forefront through education and awareness in schools and villages.
9) Quantify and collect evidence of our impact on students, schools, classrooms, teachers, villages, communities, and leaders. Confirm and verify our contribution to Egyptian Educational Reform goals.
10) Consult and collaborate with the Ministries of Education and Water/Irrigation throughout Phase One.
11) Attempt to influence policy changes that will promote the inclusion of WESC water programme dissemination to all schools within all governorates.
12) Seek out and collaborate with additional partners and NGOs within each village to continue our programme into Phase Two, Three, etc.

WESC Workshops

Our ?core group? of 60 students will come from Egyptian National schools, both rural and urban settings, and both boy and girl students. Selected children will be 11 years (grade 6) and above since science is first included in the National curricula during these years and students are old enough to become teacher-trainers themselves. These students will complete a series of three intensive, multi-day WESC workshops to learn about the water problems facing Egypt and the wider world water, water conservation methods, and possible solutions that are environmentally conscientious and sustainable. At WESC, many of the technologies suggested for solving water problems are in use or under construction at the WESC site, where the initial training workshops take place. Training will be conducted by WESC experts, WESC leaders, consulting water engineers, outside experts, and guest speakers.

Dissemination into Villages

Once the ?core group? of 60 students are extensively trained, they will take the education message and experiences gained to the next level. A rotating team of 10 student-teachers from the ?core student group?, along with WESC and iEARN staff, will travel up and down the Nile Valley and Delta, taking their water awareness lessons to 9 selected villages. Student-teachers (with WESC, iEARN, and other expert support) will conduct forums that engage village children, school officials, parents, and community leaders in the WESC water outreach programme. Student-teachers will diffuse information by training village students and increasing their awareness on water management, consumption, and conservation issues. These student-teachers will encourage dialog and demonstrate possible solutions to reasonable water management problems faced in selected villages. Villages will be selected based on their location to and dependence upon international waters and their existing affiliations with partner NGOs.

Dissemination to the World

Four selected ?core group students?, along with WESC and iEARN staff, will take the water education and awareness message to the World Water Forum in Mexico in March 2006. Students will present the programme as an example of how to build children?s confidence ? through education and awareness ? and address water challenges facing communities and families, both locally and internationally. The Egyptian Ministry of Water and Irrigation has tentatively pledged support and participation in a water education discussion, with the children, during the Forum. We will also present poster/video sessions at the Water Expo and Water Fair to highlight our educational activities and show how children can be instrumental in rising water awareness and water resources stewardship within their own communities.

Anticipated Impact of our Water Education and Awareness Programme

Upon completion of the Water Education and Awareness Programme, we expect to have widely diffused our message. We will have extensively trained 60 ?core group students?? in relevant water issues and possible solutions such that they can become teacher-trainers. In the combined 9 villages visited, we hope to train a minimum of 180 Egyptian students who become empowered to diffuse the water information back within their village and school. We will leave having introduced more than 20 village schools to our unique learning methods and water awareness curricula. We hope to reach approximately 7,200 villagers (parents, community leaders, agriculturists, etc.) who have attended our forums and educational sessions. And finally, we anticipate working with more than 25 local/village NGOs who share our vision and have the capacity and necessary networking to continue to disseminate our programme within villages. Internationally, we will demonstrate how children can be instrumental in rising water awareness and water resources stewardship within their own communities to an expected audience of 20,000 people at the World Water Forum in Mexico City in March 2006.

Description of project activities

1) Assess the current water curricula offered in Egyptian schools. Identify successful components, barriers to learning, and needed improvements. Revise and finalize WESC water curriculum.
2) Further develop WESC water facilities (water purification system, wetlands, dry toilets, etc.).
3) Work with partners to identify and invite the ?core student group? to participate in our programme:
(a) iEARN ? identify students from Experimental schools in the Nile Valley and Alexandria.
(b) SEKEM ? identify students from the Zagizig area.