Report on World Water Day 2003

On the occasion of the World Water Day, March 22, Ukraine MAMA-86 started an awareness raising campaign "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All" joining in that way to the WASH World Campaign (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene). The WASH Campaign was launched at the International Fresh Water Conference in Bonn, on December 2001. Publication of a Report "Global Assessment of Water Supply and Sanitation during 2000" prepared by WHO, UNICEF and Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) was an incitement for starting the campaign. According to the Report, about 250 million peoples suffer from diseases caused by inadequate water supply and sanitation and more than 3 million peoples die of these diseases every year. Presently 1,2 billion peoples do not have access to safe drinking water and 2,5 billion peoples live in inadequate sanitation conditions, particularly, sewerage system.

Report conclusions served as a basis for the beginning of the world campaign on water, sanitation and hygiene advocacy campaign.

In Ukraine the campaign has started in Kyiv, Odessa, Artemivsk, Kharkiv, Feodosia, Sevastopol, Nizhyn and Yaremche. Regional branches of MAMA-86 together with activists and volunteers held discussions and lectures and disseminated informational materials, prepared for the World Water Day, at the schools, colleges and kindergartens. A questioning on sanitation and individual hygiene problems was also conducted among the schoolchildren during these lectures. Generally, more than 750 questionnaires were collected and have been analysing now. It should be noted that discussion of the issues of school and home sanitary and personal hygiene aroused vivid interest among children. The children's questionnaires contain a lot of significant suggestions and vision of their personal role in resolving the problems to improve the situation.

Kyiv

The Water Lessons were the main action of informational and awareness rising campaign conducted among schoolchildren at the Kyiv schools. MAMA-86 has developed material on the hygiene issue and informational materials. The water lesson was held according to following agenda:

• Lecture on hygiene and sanitary issues
• Announcement of a child's creation competition "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All"
• Questioning in order to identify children's attitude and awareness on the problems of sanitary and hygiene.

MAMA-86-Kyiv staff and volunteers team held lessons at 14 Kyiv schools and children's homes involving more than 500 schoolchildren at the age of nine to sixteen years. Volunteers, engaged to the action, received a set of informational materials and listened training course with the purpose to get acquainted with materials of the WASH World Campaign during the training.

The water lessons started on March 20 and continued after the spring holidays on the teachers' and children's request. 450 questionnaires were collected during the lessons. Results of the questionnaires analysis will be presented separately.

Competition on the best Ukrainian name for the WASH Informational Campaign is lasting till May 15 and proposes children at the age of nine to sixteen years to develop symbols of the WASH Informational and Awareness Raising Campaign in Ukraine:

1. Ukrainian name for the WASH Campaign (water, sanitation and hygiene for all).
2. Slogan.
3. Logo (symbol) of campaign.
4. Placard.

The best children's works will be awarded and used for informational and awareness rising activities.

A press-club on the drinking water issue took place before the World Water Day in a Kyiv Journalists Union. MAMA-86 was invited to participate in the event as a representative of NGOs experienced in resolving water problems. A Weekly Journal "Korrespondent" No. 13 (52) (www.korrespondent.net) treating the water topic was issued on the basis of press-club materials on April 8. A radio interview with Anna Tsvetkova, Coordinator of Drinking Water Campaign, dedicated to the drinking water problems and consumers' right protection also broadcasted.

Mariupol

The Water Day was celebrated by holding a city final round of a BRAIN-RING game dedicated to the "WATER" subject. A team-winner continued to play in regional round of the game on March 30.

Members of ECOLOG Club held lessons at 16 city schools and lyceum, disseminated leaflets and informational materials on the drinking water quality and methods for quality improvement at home conditions. These materials were specially prepared for the Water Day.

Thee main regional newspapers published materials prepared by MAMA-86-Mariupol.

Odessa

MAMA-86-Odessa held the Water Lesson at school No. 23 for pupils of the seventh grade. The schoolchildren were informed on the Water Day celebration in other countries, the water saving campaign conducted by MAMA-86 in Odessa and the WASH World Campaign. 26 questionnaires were collected and informational materials about rational water use ware disseminated. Results of questioning were submitted to the Kyiv office.

Team of MAMA-86-Odessa participated at a scientific and pedagogical conference "Ocean of Environmental Problems in the Odessa city and Odessa Region". Students from a College of Standardization, Metrology and Certification also participated at the conference. They prepared papers and reports based on the materials provided by MAMA-86-Odessa. Recycled fashion show, environmental placards and essays exhibitions also took place within the framework of the conference. Almost 200 students and teachers of the college participated in the event.

Poltava

MAMA-86-Poltava jointly with environmental organisation "Ecosvit" held a round table "Quality of Drinking Water in Poltava Oblast" on March 21. Representatives of Vodocanal, Department of water supply of Construction University, Administration of Water Utility in Poltava oblast, Sanitary and Epidemiological Service and public were invited to participate at the round table.

O. Gorishna delivered the main report "On the quality of wells drinking water in rural area of Poltava oblast". Information about the round table was broadcasted by all television studios, showed in news digests that enabled to prove information to all population of the region. Oblast radio broadcasted report of O. Gorishna "How to prevent nitrates effect" under "Environment and Health" heading.

200 leaflets, prepared by Kyiv office, and 500 booklets "Pure water to drink — long to live" were disseminated in the city. Questioning on sanitary and hygiene issues was conducted among the schoolchildren and participants of the round table. Generally 92 filled questionnaires were collected.

Kharkiv

The World Water Day-2003 was held under "Water for Future" topic. Informational materials, prepared by MAMA-86 Kyiv and Kharkiv strength, were used for Water Day activity. Among the materials: Historical information about origin of sanitary aid for the population in Ukraine, booklets "Water and Health" and "Water and Wastes", pocket calendars on 2003 with the scheme of water supply in the Kharkiv city. More than 300 copies of every publication were disseminated during the Water Day. Furthermore, pupils of eighth grade at school No. 165, which have been actively participating in realization of water project, prepared a poetry leaflet with appeal to population on the occasion of the Water Day and rational water use and conservation. 100 copies of the leaflet were disseminated among the population of the district during the celebration.

Since there was a heavy fall of snow in the winter there is a dangerous of significant deterioration of drinking water quality during the spring floods. There are a lot of "industrial" wastes in the city, for example lead and oil products; and in rural area — pesticides, nitrates. MAMA-86-Kharkiv informed about such danger trough the publication in the local newspaper "Slobidsky Kray" on March 18, 2003 (circulation 24046 copies; more than 72,000 readers).

A Children's creation competition "Water, Sanitary and Hygiene for All", conducted by MAMA-86, was launched during the celebration.

The Water Day activity started on March 17 in a People's Ukrainian Academy with whom MAMA-86-Kharkiv established partner relationship. Conversation "Rivers of the Kharkiv region" emphasizing the hygiene aspect of using river water was held with pupils of the seventh grade.

The activity continued at thee city schools on March 21.

School No. 122, Moscovsky district, Kharkiv city

There was a lecture on the World Water Day, city water problems, and actuality of the water supply, sewerage system and hygiene issues for the pupils of the eighth grade. 50 persons were questioned in order to identify attitude and awareness about problems of sanitary and hygiene in the Kharkiv city (form of questionnaire was provided by MAMA-86)

School No. 165, Kyiv district, Kharkiv city

An assay competition and children's drawing competition was conducted among the pupils before the celebration. Best drawings exhibition was organized during the celebration. Moreover, informational stand and wall newspaper "Problems of pure water in Ukraine" was issued and decorated school corridors and halls. I. Naboka, master of the class and member of MAMA-86-Kharkiv, prepared a program of the activity.

Olga Melina and Olesya Kinash held interesting lecture on the drinking water, water — helpmate, water — traveller, water — sever enemy and water — magician, as well as demonstrated chemical experiments on the water properties "Ordinary Miracle". Afterwards, MAMA-86-Kharkiv staff held a lecture on hygiene aspects of water, evolution of sanitary and its actuality in the new century. Olga Melina, Olena Kozhushko, Yana Yaroshenko, winners of the essay competition, and Anton Murza, Olga Bobrysheva and Anna Yesko, winners of the drawings competition, were awarded at the end of celebration.

50 children were questioned in order to identify attitude and awareness on the sanitary and hygiene problems in the Kharkiv city (form of questionnaire was provided by MAMA-86).

School No. 116, Dzerzhynsky district, Kharkiv city

Children prepared special issues of the wall newspapers dedicated to the water problems. They also took part in the essay competition and children's drawings competition dedicated to the World Water Day. Questioning in order to identify children's attitude and awareness on the sanitary and hygiene problems was conducted among the schoolchildren (form of questionnaire was provided by MAMA-86).

Announcing of the competitions results Water Holiday planed on April 11, 2003.

Yaremche

Informational bulletin "March 22 — International Water Day" was prepared to the Water Day. A set of materials on water topic was broadly disseminated among different organisations and offices of Yaremche region. An article, prepared on the basis MAMA-86-Yaremche materials, was published in the "Carpathian National" newspaper. MAMA-86-Yaremche gave also two broadcast talks on the local and region radio.

Conversations on the water were held at kindergarten "Mountain Stream" and in two ecoteams at the Yaremche schools. Competitions on the best essay "Springs of Your Childhood" and on children's creation "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All" were announced at the schools of Yaremche region. 50 questionnaires on the sanitation and hygiene problems were collected.

MAMA-86-Yaremche together with a Carpathian National Nature Park has been starting investigation of sanitary state of riversides of the Prut River and its inflows.

Nizhin

On the World Water Day MAMA-86-Nizhyn carried out different events among the schoolchildren that were aimed at raising responsible and rational attitude to the water and popularising hygiene and sanitary.

MAMA-86-Nizhyn participated at a meeting of organising committee on conducting a best child's drawing competition that was organised at a City House of Children and Youth. MAMA-86-Nizhyn announced own nomination "Clean Wells" and participated in the voting committee.

Prolongation of an action on cleaning and renovating riverside of the Oster River, that was initiated by MAMA-86-Nizhin together with school No. 5, environmental organisations and utilities, was the main event dedicated to the World Water Day.

Invitation to participate in the action was published in the city newspaper "Visti" (circulation 5,400 copies) just before the action. 32 children participated in the action that was aimed at scavenging, investigating and renovating riversides. Action participants investigated the water protection measures on compliance with environmental legislation.

Children revealed dumps of domestic wastes along the riverside. Participants of the action held conversations with peoples living near the illegal dump. Following the action, discussion of results and development of suggestions to improve the situation was organised. Questioning on the water hygiene and sanitation was carried out among the schoolchildren.

Feodosia

MAMA-86-Feodosia started the best children's essays and drawings competition "Drop" on February. As a result of the competition an exhibition dedicated to the Water Day was organised; the competition is lasting. The competition results will be announced on the Earth Day, during an environmental action that is planed in library No.4 in Feodosia.

Informational materials were broadly disseminated and Competition on the best Ukrainian name, logo and placard for the campaign was announced within the framework of Hygiene and Sanitary Campaign. MAMA-86-Feodosia has been caring out an action "One's Own Ecologist" and developed eight lessons "Environment and Health" to this purpose. One of the lessons is dedicated to the sanitation and hygiene issues. Three lessons have been already held for the students of polytechnic college. 75 students participated in the lessons.

Implementation of a project on reconstruction of drinking water fountain has been already started in the city. This project is aimed at resolving problems of drinking water supply from Subozh mountain springs, which were gifted to the city by Ayvazovskiy, the famous artist and citizen, more than two centuries ago. The water pipe was almost destroyed on the city area during the last decades. There is the last line of the water pipe brining the water to the city boundaries. Since the water from the Subozh mountain springs is considered the most pure, MAMA-86-Feodosia decided to raised the money and make step towards the resolving drinking water problems and perpetuate the memory of Ayvazovsky in that way. Presently, MAMA-86 is caring out a competition on the best outline of the fountain. The competition results will be announced on May 11.