2010-06-25 - Children are our future and need to learn from a young age about their role in conserving the planet. The WWF/WESSA Eco-schools Program fosters environmental learning and activities highlighting the way towards a healthy environment.
The Program links the national school curriculum to outdoor activities on school grounds as well as in the greater community. This program is being embraced by learners, educators and the Departments of Education and Environmental Affairs, with almost 1300 schools participating nationally. With continued support from a large number of funders, the Eco-schools Program will ensure environmentally aware future adults.
The Eco-Schools program extends learning beyond the classroom and develops responsible attitudes and commitment, at home and in the wider community, promoting sustainable living and building ties with the community
Eco-Schools ’kits’ are made available to all schools that register; this pack has been adapted to South African curriculum and is updated annually with input on additional aids from schools and Coordinators working with schools since the project’s inception on 2003, in South Africa. Schools also receive guidelines for developing their portfolios.
The successful ABB, WWF/WESSA Eco schools partnership began in Motherwell Township, Port Elizabeth began in 2008; the five schools selected – all very poor, under resourced schools, who are without adequate water and electricity supplies, and an impoverished community, with many learners attending school without adequate meals and other basic necessities.
The five schools are :
- Vukanibantu Primary School
- Khulile Primary School
- Canzibe Primary School
- Mboniselo Primary School
- Dumani Primary School
Martheanne Finnemore, is the Regional Coordinator for the Eastern Cape Province and Pearl Jonas is the Motherwell Water Node Coordinator, and through their dedication and enthusiasm these five schools’ environment and learners are all developing sound environmental practices and projects suited to their individual needs.
With the encouragement and hands-on approach of the local ABB representatives, and more especially with the help and experience provided by Chesney Bradshaw of ABB in South Africa, this eco schools Node is setting an excellent example of corporate and community partnership working together :ABB is going to great lengths to provide much more than the normal support, and amongst other initiatives (provision of water tanks for the schools), have organized meetings with the Municipality, WESSA, SA Police (the security position of schools is a major concern), community forums and other local stakeholders to discuss other issues, e.g. energy provision, IT support, security, etc. all of which affect the well being of this community.
Focusing on the problems of electricity infrastructure at the schools, a structured survey was undertaken at the five schools with the purpose of assessing their access to energy for the purpose of learning and teaching and other services - in two schools there are no working plugs and electricity in the classrooms. In three schools, electricity is only available in some classrooms. This impacts on teaching to a significant degree as no teaching aids requiring electricity can be used. Alternative sources of energy (solar, wind .. ) are to be assessed as part of the energy efficiency focus important to ABB.
Learners and their teachers from all the schools are taken out on nature trails by WESSA; learners identify plants that are indigenous and those that are alien. Clean-up campaigns are undertaken, vegetable food gardens (a successful sweet potato project is proving to be a valuable nutrition tool) provide for important feeding schemes to be developed. Global warming, climate change, over-consumption and wasteful lifestyles are topics being addressed also by the learners. Environmental education is becoming more and more embedded in the schools’ curriculum and activities.
In Dr Nelson Mandela’s words “… if we do not do something to prevent it, Africa’s animals and the places in which they live will be lost to our world and children … forever”: Children are our future and they need to learn from an early age about the importance of being environmentally literate and responsible citizens so that they can grow up to enjoy a better and more sustainable quality of life.
ABB’s support for the eco schools program is ensuring that this vision will become a reality.
In Partnering with WWF on conservation education the ABB Group is building a legitimate reputation of a caring and visionary corporate citizen working alongside an organization of high standing throughout the World.