Ebomvini Primary school from Izingolweni is the winner of the Water Explorer programme festival. Six of South Africa’s top water explorer teams gathered at Umgeni Valley in Howick to present their inspiring water saving efforts to an expert panel. Two South Coast schools featured, Ebomvini Primary and Port Shepstone Junior Primary.
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Water Explorer is an online fun, inspiring and educational programme (www.waterexplorer.org) which empowers pupils to lead joint action on environmental issues, looking through a ‘water lens’. The programme is supported by GAP UK and is implemented by local partner, African Conservation Trust (ACT) in South Africa.
Schools or enviro-clubs register free on the Water Explorer website. They are able to choose from a variety of water-related challenges, which are CAPS-aligned, action-orientated lessons on various water issues. As teams enter their results online they start to replenish a virtual online wetland. They also use the blog space to report on their efforts with write-ups and photographs to document their efforts. As their virtual wetland improves, so do their water saving practices at school and home.
Ebomvini Primary will now represent South Africa at the International Water Explorer event in London in October.
Located 30km inland from Port Shepstone, the Ebomvini ‘Oasis Team’ have been active Water Explorers for two years. Some of their most notable projects have been safe-guarding a local wetland and building their own pond to attract frogs into their permaculture garden, which is watered with grey water and mulched to prevent evaporation.
The team tackled non-recyclables, such as chip and sweet wrappers which ultimately end up in rivers, through eco-bricking, from which they made useful outdoor furniture.
They have ensured tippy taps are always available for washing hands and the drinking buckets and cups are always on hand in every class so water wastage is minimised.
Topping it off, they held an incredible water festival that was attended by the whole school and local community. The money they were awarded for their festival is being used to purchase another water tank, after they worked out how much water could be harvested from their roof surfaces. Notably they have involved all teachers in the programme and, despite not having access to the Internet, they were able to WhatsApp all their project photos and project write-ups to the Water Explorer support office for posting on the site.
Ebomvini Primary was awarded the Water Explorer Tap trophy, R8 000 towards their eco-projects and will be representing South Africa at the International Water Explorer event in London at the end of October. The other teams were each awarded R4 000.
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