Children from Cambodia and UK come together for World Water Day 2008

20 March 2008

Children from schools in the UK have been taking part in an exciting new project organised by the British Red Cross to mark this year's World Water Day (20th March 2008). The children, aged 9 to 11, have been keeping ‘water diaries’ detailing each time they have used or come across water during a typical day. The pupils have then been given the opportunity to compare their diaries with water diaries from school children in Cambodia where the British Red Cross supports water and sanitation work in schools.

Leigh Daynes, spokesman at the British Red Cross said: "The idea behind the water diaries is to encourage the children to think about where their water comes from and how they use it. By comparing their water use to that of a child in Cambodia they are also able to look at the bigger, global picture and to discuss what water related issues children from other countries may face."

For children in Cambodia water is an integral part of the culture as many families rely on fishing or rice farming for income, there is an annual water festival and, in some parts of the country, there are floating villages housing hundreds of people and even incorporating a floating school.

In Chong Kal School, in Oddar Meanchey province, Samnat aged 11 looked closely at how UK children used water and in particular how they access it: "In the UK it is different because we take the water from the well and in the UK they turn on a tap. I don’t know if they use more or less water than we do but the water in the UK is better than the water in Cambodia."

Ta Daa, aged 5 attends the same school and said:  "I don’t know how people in the UK use water but it seems they drink more water than we do. I think this is because we have to get our water from the river or the well."

In Chong Khneas floating village, Viey Savet, 12, attends a floating school. He said: "All of our water comes from the lake so I don’t know where other people get their water from. I think there is enough water all around the world. The main dangers with water here are getting diahorea and skin diseases."

Stephanie Hayward teaches at Southborough School in Kent and said: "By keeping a diary the children were able to track how much water they actually use. They then had the opportunity to see pictures and diaries from individual children in Cambodia and to make direct comparisons to their own lives. It definitely helps to broaden their horizons."

Fraser, 11, from Southborough School said: "I think it is a lot harder for Cambodians as they have to collect all of their water. We would definitely use less water if we had to do that. I drink more water than Cambodian children but I don’t bathe as much as they do – they said they bathed 3 times a day! I wouldn’t drink as much if I couldn’t get it out of a tap though."

According to the UN every day some 6000 children die from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, more than a billion people do not have access to safe water and well over 2 billion people live without adequate sanitation. At any given time, more than half of the developing world’s population is suffering from one or more of the main diseases associated with unsafe water and poor sanitation.

Gregory Rose, Health Advisor at the British Red Cross said: “The most vulnerable in Cambodia are often children – in Oddar Meanchey, where the British Red Cross is working with schools to provide safe, clean water in classrooms, the statistics are shocking. In Oddar Meanchey 11.0 per cent of Cambodia’s children die before reaching the age of five compared with 5.2 in the capital. A key part of preventing child deaths and improving survival is providing access to clean water and sanitation facilities. “

The British Red Cross has been working in Cambodia for over 5 years, having a positive impact on the lives of over 60,000 people through its water and sanitation work. This includes providing over 1000 water filter units, over 200 latrines and over 50 hand dug wells with pumps serving almost 2000 people. Over 100 Red Cross volunteers also give hygiene promotion sessions to the most vulnerable.

The British Red Cross has also launched an education resource in time for World Water Day to help schools raise basic hygiene awareness among students. The short, lively assembly teaches pupils hand-washing techniques used by health professionals and explores the importance of hand washing in different settings and parts of the world.

It is one of a series of British Red Cross humanitarian education resources. Teachers can get hold of a copy of the free resource by emailing reducation@redcross.org.uk or by downloading it from the right-hand side of this page. It is suitable for primary school children, and could also be used in secondary schools.

For more information on the British Red Cross and World Water Day please visit http://www.redcross.org.uk/worldwaterday