Today I have the opportunity to jump on the National Geographic Expedition bus and join Blue Legacy as they leave Minnesota to head to Colorado. The crew with Alexandra Cousteau as the Nat Geo Expedition leader, spent Saturday and Sunday in the Twin Cities interviewing water groups and attending a special tour of the Minnesota Twins Stadium. The Twins Stadium has a fabulous water saving system in place developed by Pentair. Pentair has provide a system that recycles and reuses the water once cleaned. The water is used to clean the stadium, and water the fields, cutting traditional water usage by at least 50%. Quite amazing and innovative! Our thanks to Kevin Smith of the Twins, and Todd Gleason from Pentair for leading the tour on a beautiful Saturday in July! We know how precious these Saturdays are.
Ms. Cousteau also took the time to interview several of our H2O for Life Schools. Students and teachers had an opportunity to tell her about their school projects. There were many wonderful displays.
On Saturday, July 4, H2O for Life attended an event hosted by Blue Legacy at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis. We invited families to make a table top aquifer (the pdf will be available online for a fall science project) and we also provided a World Cup Toilet Bowl event where people tried to kick a soccer ball through a toilet seat. The prize? A photo seated on our PINK toilet seat! We had a few winners. It was not an easy task. Our goal was to remind people that over 2 billion people in the United States don't have access to adequate sanitation.
So.... TodayI had the chance to chat with the photographers, the vidiographers, the sound guy, the production crew and Alexandra Cousteau. They are all amazing and have wonderful stories to tell. I feel very lucky to be able to participate in this wonderful event. The crew includes people from Australia, France, Montana, Oklahoma, DC and New York- and one Minnesotan! We had a great time visiting on the bus. Actually, they all worked hard all day, while I visited!
We are parked for the evening in Kearney, Nebraska. Following a relaxing dinner, several of the crew were back at work, and others like me are on our way to bed. Tomorrow morning, we'll head to Denver where I will exit the bus while they continue to several days of filming in Boulder, CO. H2O for Life hopes to reconnect with Blue Legacy during their 135 day journey through another visit or two, and we also hope to connect some of our schools with Alexandra through Skype to conduct online video opportunities. If you wish to participate, contact m,H2O for Life and we'll work to set this up for your school. (info@h2oforlifeschools.org)
Also, remember, It is time to choose a school partner in a developing country for your next year's H2O for Life project. We hope you are having a wonderful summer.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
South Africa after the fact!
Our last several days in South Africa were a whirlwind. We had a meeting with our partner organizations in South Africa, and toured with Mr. Jonathan Timm of Mvula Trust Organization. He introduced us to an informal settlement area where the need for water, sanitation and hygiene is greatly needed. We visited a Creche- a day care within the settlement area. It is very small, and often provides daycare for 100 children. The children greeted us with beautiful smiles, and all were proud of the fact that it was "Bafana, Bafana day- they had on shirts in support of the team. The vuvuzelas could be heard through-out the area. (loud horns with a buzzing sound) One latrine was available for all to use. Unimaginable! Mvula hopes to bring a pipe into the area to remove the sewage, and provide more water points for the over 15,000 people that live in the area. We hope to be able to help at the day care/pre-school by providing better WASH services. (If you want to help, your donation is greatly appreciated!)
We watched the South Africa/Mexico opening game in a huge "Fan Park" located near our hotel. There were thousands of fans in attendance, and they were very enthusiastic about their South African team. It was fun to share in the excitement of the fans through-out the game. I think most South Africans were ok with a tie, as Mexico was the favored team. The celebration continued to the wee hours of the morning and long after I went to bed the vuvuzelas were still in action. Rumor has it that FIFA is thinking of banning the horns from upcoming games. We'll have to wait to see if that happens.
South Africa is welcoming country, with a rich mixture of people and places to visit. I hope to return and spend time in the rural areas in the future.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Bafana, Bafana (Boys!Boys!)
Everywhere we go in Johannesburg we hear "Bafana, Bafana"! It means, boys, boys and is used in support of the South African Football Team. (The WORLD CUP SOCCER tournament) People are sporting the gold and green team colors, and blasting on their vuvuzelas (highly obnoxioius horns) The excitement is high for the opening game on Friday.
Yesterday, we had the opportunity to visit a school in a nearby township. The townships were the relocation areas designated for blacks during Apartheid, and although the laws have changed, the poverty and lack of services to these areas still exists. The area of Katalhong is quite large, and the school houses over 1,000 students. A recent project in conjunction with the RAIN Foundation and the South African Department of Education provided piped water and a tank to a block of toilets and hand-washing sinks in a beautiful brick building. There are 8 stalls for girls and 5 stalls for boys plus a urinal area. The facility is a vast improvement for the children and is greatly appreciated. The school also received a water stand-point located on the school grounds. Students now have water to drink at school rather than walking blocks away in the development to reach a common drinking station shared by many, many people. As always, the children were smiling, singing, and wanted us to take their photos.
After visiting the school, we stopped for several hours at the Apartheid Museum. The museum is breath-taking and emotionally draining. The story of Nelson Mandela is told through photos, video clips and quotes from his inspirational speeches. He is truly a great man. He is expected to attend the opening soccer game between South Africa and Mexico on Friday. The people hope he brings them good luck.
We visited a squatters community today. The homes are shacks made of tin and whatever else can be found to pound together. None of the homes have electricity, and very few have access to water other than shared water points placed few and far between. In 2008, the government did provide VIP Pit latrines for every plot of land- the hope is that within the next few years, the houses will be replaced and water and electricity will be available to most. There is not a school close by, which creates problems for many of the children. The "house" we visited consisted of 2 very small rooms for a family of 7.
We moved on to visit Soweto (the name stands for South Western Township). It is the early home of Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and the center for the uprising's of people fighting Apartheid. The area has undergone vast improvements for the World Cup Games -or so we were told. There were many craft booths lining the streets, and many international visitors.
From Soweto, we headed to the 2 year old African Leadership Academy. 179 students from around Africa are chosen to attend the two year program- (similar to the last 2 years of high school in the US). The students represent 38 out of 54 African countries. We were fortunate to have Estella, a 19 year old young lady from Cameroon, take us on a guided tour of the campus. We have a video interview with her that we hope we can share on facebook and our video page next week. We also met a young man, Chernoh, from Sierra Leone. At the age of 13, he wrote a proposal to his government and succeeded to convince them that his school needed water! These young people are amazing. One goal of the Academy is to encourage development of skills needed to be the future leaders of Africa. After meeting Estrella and Chernoh, I think they will succeed!
Tomorrow we meet with our South African Partnerships to discuss plans to help fund 100 school WASH in School projects for South Africa as a lasting Legacy of the World Cup. We know that our H2O for Life Schools can help bring the projects to fruition while forming relationships between students around the world.
Keep in mind, that our youth is the future!
Go USA in the World Cup!
Yesterday, we had the opportunity to visit a school in a nearby township. The townships were the relocation areas designated for blacks during Apartheid, and although the laws have changed, the poverty and lack of services to these areas still exists. The area of Katalhong is quite large, and the school houses over 1,000 students. A recent project in conjunction with the RAIN Foundation and the South African Department of Education provided piped water and a tank to a block of toilets and hand-washing sinks in a beautiful brick building. There are 8 stalls for girls and 5 stalls for boys plus a urinal area. The facility is a vast improvement for the children and is greatly appreciated. The school also received a water stand-point located on the school grounds. Students now have water to drink at school rather than walking blocks away in the development to reach a common drinking station shared by many, many people. As always, the children were smiling, singing, and wanted us to take their photos.
After visiting the school, we stopped for several hours at the Apartheid Museum. The museum is breath-taking and emotionally draining. The story of Nelson Mandela is told through photos, video clips and quotes from his inspirational speeches. He is truly a great man. He is expected to attend the opening soccer game between South Africa and Mexico on Friday. The people hope he brings them good luck.
We visited a squatters community today. The homes are shacks made of tin and whatever else can be found to pound together. None of the homes have electricity, and very few have access to water other than shared water points placed few and far between. In 2008, the government did provide VIP Pit latrines for every plot of land- the hope is that within the next few years, the houses will be replaced and water and electricity will be available to most. There is not a school close by, which creates problems for many of the children. The "house" we visited consisted of 2 very small rooms for a family of 7.
We moved on to visit Soweto (the name stands for South Western Township). It is the early home of Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and the center for the uprising's of people fighting Apartheid. The area has undergone vast improvements for the World Cup Games -or so we were told. There were many craft booths lining the streets, and many international visitors.
From Soweto, we headed to the 2 year old African Leadership Academy. 179 students from around Africa are chosen to attend the two year program- (similar to the last 2 years of high school in the US). The students represent 38 out of 54 African countries. We were fortunate to have Estella, a 19 year old young lady from Cameroon, take us on a guided tour of the campus. We have a video interview with her that we hope we can share on facebook and our video page next week. We also met a young man, Chernoh, from Sierra Leone. At the age of 13, he wrote a proposal to his government and succeeded to convince them that his school needed water! These young people are amazing. One goal of the Academy is to encourage development of skills needed to be the future leaders of Africa. After meeting Estrella and Chernoh, I think they will succeed!
Tomorrow we meet with our South African Partnerships to discuss plans to help fund 100 school WASH in School projects for South Africa as a lasting Legacy of the World Cup. We know that our H2O for Life Schools can help bring the projects to fruition while forming relationships between students around the world.
Keep in mind, that our youth is the future!
Go USA in the World Cup!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Hello from South Africa,
After a long flight-21 hours in the air- we arrived to the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg, South Africa. The World Cup Soccer Matches will begin on June 11. Our purpose for this visit is to connect with the RAIN Foundation and the Department of Education of South Africa, to be part of a plan to bring WASH in Schools to 100 schools in SA in honor of the World Cup Event. H2O for Life is thrilled to have the opportunity to connect students in the US with students in South Africa as part of our role in these projects. (Each school project will require $2000 per school in H2O for Life School partnerships- total cost of each project will be around $40,000 per school- we have highly leveraged funds!) The RAIN foundation and the Government of South Africa value the student to student connection, and we do too)
We are currently spending time near the Limpopo District. We hope to visit several schools, and take in some of the local sights.
We hope to have more information as the week progresses, and we also hope to be able to share interesting facts about South Africa and the World Cup.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Visit to South Africa
Tomorrow, June 3, Val Johnson and I leave for Johannesburg, South Africa to meet with the RAIN Foundation, Global Water Challenge, Coca-Cola Africa and the Department of Education for South Africa. In conjunction with the World Cup Soccer Tournament, our groups are working together to fund water, sanitation and hygiene for 100 schools in South Africa over the next 3 years. It is a fabulous opportunity for H2O for Life Schools. Each school is targeted to receive approximately a $40,000 intervention to improve the water source, provide toilets and sanitaton, and implement hygiene education curriculum and hand-washing stations. H2O for Life is being asked to contribute $2000 per school! That is phenomenal. We hope to facilitate pen-pal connections, photo exchanges and other activities to provide student to student connections. Now is your chance to get in on the ground floor of this wonderful initiative, and choose a school partner in South Africa for next school year.
We will post photos of schools, and other interesting sites that we visit while in South Africa on this exploratory trip.
We hope all of you enjoy what is left of the school year, and as they say in South Africa- Cheers!
We will post photos of schools, and other interesting sites that we visit while in South Africa on this exploratory trip.
We hope all of you enjoy what is left of the school year, and as they say in South Africa- Cheers!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Webinar
Update: May 5, 2010
Today H2O for Life participated in a Webinar presentation from the National Youth Leadership Council headquarters in Minnesota. H2O for Life President, Patty Hall, was joined by students Obi Obikwelu, Lauren Johnson, Drew Tangren, and teacher Laurie Tangren to share experiences about their service learning projects. If you were not able to join us live, please visit: www.nylc.org and their Generator School Network for more information.
During the summer months, H2O for Life in conjunction with National Geographic is working to design specific “water” curriculum. We would like to hear from you! What topics interest you? We would welcome your feedback. Contact us at: info@h2oforlifeschools.org
Today H2O for Life participated in a Webinar presentation from the National Youth Leadership Council headquarters in Minnesota. H2O for Life President, Patty Hall, was joined by students Obi Obikwelu, Lauren Johnson, Drew Tangren, and teacher Laurie Tangren to share experiences about their service learning projects. If you were not able to join us live, please visit: www.nylc.org and their Generator School Network for more information.
During the summer months, H2O for Life in conjunction with National Geographic is working to design specific “water” curriculum. We would like to hear from you! What topics interest you? We would welcome your feedback. Contact us at: info@h2oforlifeschools.org
Thursday, April 15, 2010
H2O for Life update
H2O for Life has been busy attending educational conferences in the past few weeks. At the National Youth Leadership Council’s conference for Service Learning in San Jose, CA, H2O for Life participated in 5 engaging break- out sessions, and were instrumental in bringing “The Lost Boys of Sudan” to the podium as keynote speakers.
We’d like to thank Waunakee Middle School from WI, and Centennial High School from MN for participating in our first video-conferencing experience. It was great fun to hear from all the students while sitting in San Jose, CA. We also participated in our first Webinar and hope to do more presentations via computer in the future. You can tune in!
Phillipe Cousteau from Earth Echo, Lee Lysne from the Kind World Foundation, S.K. Duffs service learning specialist from Hoboken, Emily Crossette, student from Abington HS and Patty Hall, from H2O for Life spoke on a Thought Leaders Panel about the issues surrounding water. There were many interesting comments!
Last week, H2O for Life attended the National Catholic Education Conference in Minneapolis, MN. We were joined by teacher Mary Burke and Principal Judi Halli from Holy Spirit School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The ladies were articulate and highly entertaining as they enthralled the crowd with stories from their project experiences this past year. (The God Squad, Denim for Digging etc.)
The school year is heading to a close. Remember to organize your events, and help fund your partner school project!
We’d like to thank Waunakee Middle School from WI, and Centennial High School from MN for participating in our first video-conferencing experience. It was great fun to hear from all the students while sitting in San Jose, CA. We also participated in our first Webinar and hope to do more presentations via computer in the future. You can tune in!
Phillipe Cousteau from Earth Echo, Lee Lysne from the Kind World Foundation, S.K. Duffs service learning specialist from Hoboken, Emily Crossette, student from Abington HS and Patty Hall, from H2O for Life spoke on a Thought Leaders Panel about the issues surrounding water. There were many interesting comments!
Last week, H2O for Life attended the National Catholic Education Conference in Minneapolis, MN. We were joined by teacher Mary Burke and Principal Judi Halli from Holy Spirit School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The ladies were articulate and highly entertaining as they enthralled the crowd with stories from their project experiences this past year. (The God Squad, Denim for Digging etc.)
The school year is heading to a close. Remember to organize your events, and help fund your partner school project!
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