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(Photos: Sheryl Ducummon / www.wesc.org)

When it comes to water issues, children are proving to be effective “agents of change” in communities across Egypt.

Twenty Egyptian youth aged 11 to 16 took part in an innovative project that gave them the opportunity to represent  their communities and address their water problems.

The project was run by the Wadi Environmental Science Centre (WESC) with assistance from the Egyptian Water Partnership, the Arab Water Council, and supported by Canada’s International Development Research Centre’s Regional Water Demand Initiative (WaDImena).

Chosen from five governorates in Giza, Monofiya, Fayoum, Aswan, and Alexandria, the youth visited each other’s communities where they met with residents to investigate water-related problems.

The most common challenges included lack of awareness of water issues and miscommunication between government officials and the public on these issues.  The youth also  found general misuse of canals and drains, poor design and management of sewage, and contamination of groundwater with sewage.

The group brought their findings to scientists and environmental specialists at WESC headquarters. Together they explored simple solutions to the communities’ water problems, including recycling greywater, building dew catchers, and using solar heaters and distillers.

They also received training on presenting and promoting their results. The youth then shared their proposed solutions with their respective communities through demonstrations, seminars, and open discussions that drew as many as 200 people at a time.

The project creators believe – and have shown – that when equiped with knowledge, children can help shift people’s attitudes and actions about sustainable water use, technologies, and policies.

In March 2006, 10 members of the youth group traveled to Mexico City to share their experience and present their findings to participants at the Fourth World Water Forum (4WWF).  There they met with Egyptian Ministry officials to discuss solutions and national policy changes. For many of the group, this was their first trip outside of Egypt.

A documentary of the project, entitled “The Blue Treasure,” was produced and screened at the 4WWF and will also be shown at schools throughout Québec, Canada.

As a result of this project, Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation committed to establishing a “Blue Team” of youth to liaise between the government institution responsible for water management and the communities involved in the research.  Specialists from the Ministry are to work with the youth to help implement their proposed solutions.

Project organizers are also working to raise funds for a second phase of the project that will see the solutions put into practice.

Nadine Robitaille is a writer with IDRC's Communications Division

2006-04

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