This post was written by Jessi Lehman, Intern at the FoEME Jordan office
On Saturday, 26 March 2011, a group of children from the surrounding communities celebrated World Water Day at the Sharhabil bin Hassneh EcoPark.
This event was linked to World Water Day celebrations throughout the world. Our event is included as “Water Matters for Youth in the Jordan Valley” on the official website of World Water Day.
At the EcoPark, 32 girls and 42 boys, ages eight to twelve, enjoyed activities that celebrated water and explained its importance. After the children arrived from Sharhabil bin Hassneh and Tabakat Fahel, field staff Abu Yazeed explained World Water Day and the activities to come. Then the children were divided into groups, and FoEME staff and volunteers led them in taking turns at several activity stations.
At one of the stations, students watched and discussed an educational cartoon about water pollution. Painting ceramic tiles with water themes in the park’s picnic area was another popular activity. Students also played a cooperative game, passing a glass of water with closed eyes, trying not to spill a drop. This showed the importance and difficulty of preserving water and the necessity of working together. The children also did some volunteer work, helping to clean the EcoPark. At the end of the afternoon, they enjoyed a snack and some time to play in the park.
The children really enjoyed the activities, and appreciated the messages of working together to save water. For Friends of the Earth Middle East it was a great opportunity to spend a beautiful day in the EcoPark, sharing our enthusiasm for water with a great group of kids!
In Israel, FoEME staff hit the streets of Tel Aviv on World Water Day to hand out hourglasses to time showers. Both adults and children were informed of this easy method to save water at home. The activity received a lot of media attention. FoEME co-director Gidon Bromberg wrote a special op-ed in honor of World Water Day. Photos can be viewed on FoEME’s Flickr page.
