
LEARN ABOUT
GOAL 6 CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION
CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION -In this lesson students will discuss and learn about the current issues and facts surrounding the UNICEF WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) programme. Discussion around the impacts of drinking dirty water and how and why people globally still do not have proper access.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
YOU WILL NEED
Prior Learning
Knowledge and understanding of:
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The Convention on the Rights of the Child
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The Sustainable Development Goals
Vocabulary:
Water Security- the ability to maintain a constant and sufficient supply of safe, clean water without negatively impacting the people and environment around them.
WASH- the collective term for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.
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Understand the importance of having access to clean water and sanitation.
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Learn about the UNICEF WASH programme and their aims in reaching sustainable and healthy practices everywhere.
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Gain understanding to how and why people are forced to live without the most basic of necessities such as clean drinking water.
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Understand the impacts of drinking dirty drinking water.
BACKGROUND RESOURCES
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Science
Health
CONTEXT
Over the next 25 years the world is going to see a clearly evident depletion of the worlds fresh water supply. Even though 71% of the earth is covered in water, this doesn't mean its available for human consumption as 97.5% of it is salt water making it deadly to humans. Water supplies are already becoming scarce as the supply in cape town, south Africa is expected to run dry by April of 2018.
Goal 6 Targets
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Ensure all individuals globally have access to clean, affordable drinking water
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Achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
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By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
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Control the effects of water scarcity and achieve sustainable withdrawals from freshwater sources.
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By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes
ACTIVITY
MAKING DRINKABLE WATER
Group work: Divide the class into small groups. Provide each group with 3+ glasses of dirty water, a plastic bottle, a tablecloth, gravel, rocks and cotton wool. Using scissors cut the plastic bottle in half, putting the top part of the bottle upside down in the bottom part of the bottle. Place the cloth into the bottle and pour the dirty water into the bottle. empty the filtered water into a container. Repeat this once all the materials have been used to filter the water.
1. which material made the water most clean?
2. would you drink the finished product ( Do not drink the filtered water as it contains bacteria)
Sisters in South Sudan
Grace’s Story
A Day in the Life of Aysha
ACTIVITY
Watch the videos above. Do we take for granted the conveniences we have in Ireland?
“Many children — mostly girls — spend hours every day collecting water and miss out on the opportunity to attend school. Globally, women and children spend around 200 million hours every day, collecting water. But the issue is not just lack of access to water; lack of access to basic toilets, and gender segregated toilets, in schools cause a multitude of issues. Adolescent girls are particularly affected by this, as they need a clean and private space to be able to manage their menstrual hygiene with privacy and dignity.”
Discussion
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2.6 billion people have gained access to improved drinking water sources since 1990, but 663 million people are still without
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At least 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that is fecally contaminated
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Between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of the global population using an improved drinking water source has increased from 76 per cent to 91 per cent
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But water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of the global population and is projected to rise. Over 1.7 billion people are currently living in river basins where water use exceeds recharge
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2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services, such as toilets or latrines
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More than 80 per cent of wastewater resulting from human activities is discharged into rivers or sea without any pollution removal
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Each day,nearly 1,000 children die due to preventable water and sanitation-related diarrhoeal diseases
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Hydropower is the most important and widely-used renewable source of energy and as of 2011, represented 16 per cent of total electricity production worldwide
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Approximately 70 per cent of all water abstracted from rivers, lakes and aquifers is used for irrigation
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Floods and other water-related disasters account for 70 per cent of all deaths related to natural disasters
Homework-
Coke bought largest clean water resource in south america. Clean water in industry. Irish context of water privatization-- Is access to water a right?
TED TALK - Deepika Kurup
Clean water: A right or a privilege
TED TALK - George McGraw
Why you don't care about water
ACTIVITY 2
Watch the videos above. Do we take for granted the conveniences we have in Ireland?
“Many children — mostly girls — spend hours every day collecting water and miss out on the opportunity to attend school. Globally, women and children spend around 200 million hours every day, collecting water. But the issue is not just lack of access to water; lack of access to basic toilets, and gender segregated toilets, in schools cause a multitude of issues. Adolescent girls are particularly affected by this, as they need a clean and private space to be able to manage their menstrual hygiene with privacy and dignity.”
Discussion
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2.6 billion people have gained access to improved drinking water sources since 1990, but 663 million people are still without
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At least 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that is fecally contaminated
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Between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of the global population using an improved drinking water source has increased from 76 per cent to 91 per cent
-
But water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of the global population and is projected to rise. Over 1.7 billion people are currently living in river basins where water use exceeds recharge
-
2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services, such as toilets or latrines
-
More than 80 per cent of wastewater resulting from human activities is discharged into rivers or sea without any pollution removal
-
Each day,nearly 1,000 children die due to preventable water and sanitation-related diarrhoeal diseases
-
Hydropower is the most important and widely-used renewable source of energy and as of 2011, represented 16 per cent of total electricity production worldwide
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Approximately 70 per cent of all water abstracted from rivers, lakes and aquifers is used for irrigation
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Floods and other water-related disasters account for 70 per cent of all deaths related to natural disasters
Homework
Privatization of water has been an increasingly common practice. Have students research a privatization of a water source. Example: Research Coca-cola recent acquisition of the largest clean water source in South America.
Have a debate surrounding the students findings. Should privatization of water be allowed? How about the the Irish context of water privatization-- Is access to water a right?
ACTIVITY 3
THE STRAIN OF THE GLOBAL WATER SUPPLY
Group Work: Divide the class into small groups providing them with a blank map of the world including the countries names. using 4 the following colors: pale yellow, yellow, orange, red and dark red. ( these colors can be altered). Starting with pale yellow has less stressful working up to red dark which is the most water stressed countries.Once completed get the students to compare their maps and answers among the other groups. Finally handout the map provided below to see if the students maps were similar. once again discuss these answers among the class. Either individual or a class discussion answer the following questions
1. Were your answers similar to the provided map?
2. Was there any country/countries that surprised you?
3. Was your ranking of Ireland's water strain correct?
4. Do you now understand the strain of the water supply around the world?
5. Did you notice any prejudice during this activity?
6. Do you have any solutions to help create a sustainable water supply for future generations?




WASH UNICEF

UNICEF WASH PROGRAMME
Wash and Health
Over 800 children under five die every day due to lack of proper access to clean water and sanitation, making it the leading cause of death in this age group. Diseases transferred through unclean water and unhygienic practices directly affects child survival, growth and development.
1 in 4 children worldwide have irreversible cognitive and physical damage related to unsanitary living conditions that lead to undernutrition, diarrhea or intestinal worm infections. Sanitary- related diseases and infections including cholera, malaria, trachoma, schistosomiasis, worm infestations and guinea worm disease, are disproportionately affecting children.
Wash and Education
Many schools, especially those in the developing world, do not have proper access and facilities to water and sanitation for children. The effects of schools not having these resources negatively impacts students. With the physical and cognitive effects of diseases carried through dirty water and lack of sanitation, also impacts the proper access to education.
TAKE ACTION
Put up these posters in your class room to spread awareness!
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WASH in Schools improves health: Poster PDF
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WASH in Schools boosts attendance and achievement : Poster PDF
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WASH in Schools promotes gender equality: Poster PDF
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WASH in Schools reaches communities: Poster PDF
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Take action now! : Poster PDF
Connect With WASH:
Stay in touch with the UNICEF WASH team with UNICEF Water Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.