| IMPLEMENTATION
Upgrading Sanitation Facilities In response to the community request, SEAM engineers
together with each Markaz engineering staff visited the schools. In conjunction
with school staff, toilet blocks were located in areas that could be easily
supervised by school staff and without taking up playground areas. An assessment
of the necessary facilities was made, detailed engineering plans and bills
of quantities prepared and tenders issued for the construction. In both
cases the works were awarded to local contractors from each Markaz.
At both schools, buildings were constructed to accommodate the toilet facilities. At El-Botakh School 6 wash basins and 7 toilets were installed for the girls and connected to the school’s main septic tank. At the Naga Abassa School separate toilet blocks were constructed for girls and boys. In total 12 hand basins and 14 toilets were installed and connected to a newly constructed septic tank. Construction was undertaken mostly during school holidays to minimise any possible disruption to school activities. Construction time was 3 months. The Markaz engineering departments and school staff provided day to day supervision. Awareness Raising Environmental awareness raising has been an integral part of this project and comprised the following activities:
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Environmental awareness raising was
undertaken in the schools by the Headmaster and a group of teachers and
supported by SEAM. The main issues to consider were identified through
focus group discussions involving a number of teachers and students from
the Environment and Population Group. This group was established in many
schools in Egypt after the UN Conference for Population and Development,
held in Cairo in 1994. The Group consisted of students from various classes
who were interested in environmental issues
Students of the Environment and Population Group
were encouraged to identify environmental projects that they could implement
with support from SEAM and the local community. These projects included:
The Environment and Population Group at El-Botakh was actively involved in the design and implementation of the Environmental Week activities. On its first day, students were gathered and open discussions held to explain issues like improvements to sanitation and solid waste practices, linkages between environmental degradation and health problems, and opportunities to stimulate community based initiatives. Village Clean-up Campaign Students from El-Botakh School undertook a large
waste clean-up campaign in the three villages (El-Botakh, El-Wagada and
El-Gharazet) where most of them lived. Over 3 days, 50-80 students and
a number of the teachers participated in the clean-up operations. The students
encouraged local villagers to take part and also discussed with them issues
such as improving waste handling, sanitation and other environmental conditions.
Equipment provided by SEAM included wheelbarrows, shovels and plastic bags.
T-shirts with the Sohag Environmental Action Plan logo were provided to
those participating. The waste collected was transported to Maragha dumpsite
by a truck, hired by the school.
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