A series of books that aim to promote water education for school children aged 3-16 years old has been produced jointly by UNESCO and the China Institute of Water Resource and Hydropower Research (IWHR). With a group of cartoon characters, the Water Droplet family is intended to lead the young minds through the journey of games, stories, and experiments on water science.
In support of water education in Kenya, UNESCO in collaboration with IWHR donated 2694 copies of the reading materials to schools in Kenya on 25th February 2022. The first batch of schools included Brookhill Academy, Nairobi; the Queen of Peace Educational Centre, Ruai; and Iftin Primary School, Garissa which serve as community schools in Kenya.
Presenting the water education books to the schools, Mr. Samuel Partey, Programme Specialist at the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, Nairobi, acknowledged the collaboration with IWHR to promoting water literacy in Africa. In his submission, he mentioned that “UNESCO works to ensure that every child like you has access to quality education”. He was optimistic that the books will improve the knowledge of the students on water issues in their communities.
Head teachers from the schools appreciated the books and the gesture by UNESCO and partners. Receiving the books on behalf of Brookhill Academy, Ms Lucy Otage, the Co-Director of the school mentioned she was confident that the use of the water education books would be a very good start for science, especially in the water area. She also mentioned that the books were timely and would serve as extra-curricular reading materials for the students.
Ms. Yuan Meng from IWHR, and Ms. Xinhong Li from the UNESCO Nairobi Office who coordinated the development of the books reiterated that both UNESCO and IWHR are keen to seeing the book not only increasing students' awareness of the critical importance of water for hygiene during the pandemic, but also instilling the love of reading to help them explore a world beyond school and community, raising the possibility of making a difference.
