PLN

Tikho's Story: A Quest For Clean Water in Zambia

 

 

 Alberta's Youth Wavemakers, a program of CAWST (Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology), put on an amazing professional development program providing teachers with a variety of free tools and resources to teach students about clean water at home and around the world. The program includes a free online video made by young Zambian Tikho herself providing a glimpse into daily life without easy access to clean water. There are also many lesson plans available to teach social and environmental responsibility across the Science and Technology, Mathematics, Language and even Arts curricula. Activites include creating a household water budget and completing an audit, making a "tippy tap" when running water is not an option, and graphic organizer to help students understand the importance and scarcity of clean drinking water and the actions that threaten or preserve it. The lessons are very authentic and based in "real world" scenarios that students can relate to and engage with.

 

The Q&A video and slideshow created by Tikho was the most engaging part of the session and I believe that students would feel the same. The video was filmed with a hand-held digital camera and shows real daily life including playing, making food, sleeping and walking to fetch water. Tikho's story shows Canadian students that there is hope for clean water in Africa and around the world if education and technology is provided. Furthermore, it provides an alternative to the hopeless images students are used to seeing which often fail to inspire action.