James Glover* highlights a project that is communicating the water conservation message to children in the UK and Brazil.

Across the world climate change and environmental degradation are making the achievement of sustainable livelihoods one of today's greatest challenges. The challenge is severe, particularly in water scarce areas where long periods of drought can cause severe hardship.

One of the best methods of helping people deal with drought is through education. With a clearer understanding of the issues at stake people are better able to prioritise water uses and co-operate on water management. Education is particularly effective when it involves children from a young age, as was demonstrated during a knowledge and research project undertaken by Mott MacDonald and funded by the UK Department for International Development  (DFID), in drought-affected north-east Brazil.

The project developed an innovative environmental education programme focused on land and water management in rural communities. In a break from traditional education programmes that focus on adults, primary school children in five communities were asked to consider the roles of land and water use in sustaining local livelihoods.

'The enthusiasm of the school children, the teachers, community members and education authorities was beyond expectation,' says Mott MacDonald Technical Director and Project Manager for the programme in Brazil, Jan van Wonderen. 'We valued the opinion of the rural communities to the extent that activities changed direction in response to community wishes. This had a powerful impact on the way the programme was perceived.'

Van Wonderen's view is backed by community members: 'The project team members did not impose anything on us; on the contrary, they encouraged us to be creative,' comments Penha, a health agent from Mutuca.

'It was only after participating in the project that I realised that I was a knowledgeable person,' adds Seu Antônio, who farms land at Mimoso Seco. 'Usually people tend to rate our experience and knowledge very low and of no importance. I believe the project had a strong impact on the livelihood of community members.'

At the fourth World Water Forum a report on the Brazilian project summed up: 'Coping with drought can only be successful if local communities take control of the management of their land and water resources in a sustainable manner. This requires firstly a community-based knowledge of resource availability and response to natural and anthropogenic influences; secondly, a community-based people partnership with strong organisation and communication within and across communities; and, thirdly, a gender balance with women and men playing equally important roles.'

Introduction of community-based water governance to a young audience is predicted to have a lasting impact, as children will grow up to become responsible for future water management.  Education authorities in three municipalities have implemented the programme in all primary schools, attracting the interest of the Brazilian state authorities, which see it is as a means of promoting rural ways of life, making rural life viable and, in the process, reducing migration to cities.

Closer to home, a child-centred educational approach, 'Water for Schools', is being piloted by Mott MacDonald in the UK, at a Cambridgeshire primary school and village college. Children are being made aware of the importance of water for human life and the well-being of the environment.

The children taking part have demonstrated a desire to 'own' the project and they are eager to be involved and engage with activities. Demand to participate in out of school activities far outstrips the capacity for involving pupils and staff who are supporting the integration of project activities into the school curriculum.
 
Under the pilot scheme, school lessons are adapted to incorporate water themes, enabling an understanding of wide-ranging issues and promoting awareness of the importance of using water wisely. Children have been involved in making rain gauges from two-litre plastic drinks bottles. They then monitor the gauges. The rainfall and evaporation data gathered is used in subjects such as maths and science. This has the added benefit of giving the children tangible examples of how subjects can be applied.

Currently, pupils are helping plan experiments to monitor water use in their homes over the course of a week. Data will be analysed in class, leading to discussions on how water use could be reduced. Other experiments to examine water use by plants and how water stress and surplus affect plant growth are being carried out.

The project is seen as a fundamental move toward changing pupils' attitudes to water consumption. Treating children as responsible citizens and challenging them to take action has a wider influence as messages and behaviours are passed on to family and friends.  Experiences in Brazil and the UK indicate that a similar educational approach could be used to address a range of environmental conditions.

*James Glover is a Water Resources Specialist for Mott MacDonald and is Project Manager of the 'Water for Schools' project.

This article was prepared with the assistance of Jan van Wonderen, also from Mott MacDonald, who is Technical Director and Project Manager for the Brazil project.