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The InWEnt Alumni Newsletter offers former InWEnt course participants up-to-date information on international continuing education. This newsletter is produced jointly by inwent.org and DW-WORLD.DE Dear Readers, it was a milestone in international development cooperation: the Paris Declaration 2005 on Aid Effectiveness deliberately attached more importance to the experience of all participating countries and more mutual partnership. Three years later, in September this year, a critical interim assessment is to take place in Accra/Ghana. What has been achieved so far and where is the most urgent need for action? We need your opinion! We wish you an interesting read, yours, Engelbert Veelbehr and the InWEnt Alumni Team The topics this month: Newest Action: We Need Your Opinion! Monthly Topic Paris Declaration DW-WORLD.DE Background Politics & Economics Poll: Europeans See China as Biggest Threat to Global Stability Europeans see China as being a greater threat to global stability than the United States or Iran, an opinion poll published Tuesday, April 15, discovered. http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evy78vI45ew4egI2 Alumni Portrait Clearing the Way DW-WORLD.DE: Background Science & Technology Europe Defends Biofuels as Debate Rages Europe defended biofuels against charges that their production is a
"crime against humanity" that threatens global food supplies. Yet
pressure continues to mount for the European Union to back off on its
biofuel targets. Alumni Worldwide Information and Transparency Deutsch lernen mit DW-WORLD.DE: Top-Thema mit Vokabeln Mitgefühl als Medizin In der tibetischen Medizin ist nicht nur der Körper wichtig. Auch die
Lebenseinstellung eines Menschen spielt eine sehr große Rolle. Denn
wenn es jemandem gut geht, beeinflusst das auch die Gesundheit. Link of the Month: Atlantic-Community.org This newsletter is produced jointly by InWEnt and DW-WORLD.DE. http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evy78vI45ew4egI8 http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evy78vI45ew4egI9 It is an engineering practice all over the world to collect rainwater in ferro cement tanks above ground - even though this approach has proven disadvantages. The disadvantages of above ground tanks are:
There is no question that there is a need to change the mindset among civil engineers. Whether it is in the mountains or on the plains, the Barefoot engineering approach to rooftop rainwater harvesting is the only feasible solution for poor communities around the world. Join the Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council >> Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council, December 2007 Newsletter >> Source: http://www.barefootcollege.org/ Clean Drinking Water for More than 239,000 Children in 7 Countries For over 20 years, the Barefoot College has worked with rural communities to develop their own rainwater harvesting systems and community-managed water supplies:
Summary of Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting Systems - 2007 >> Source: http://www.barefootcollege.org/ Water & Sanitation for Rural Schools Thousands of remote rural schools all over the world have no water for drinking or sanitation. There are also no simple hand flushed toilets in these schools which often prevents girls, who need privacy, from attending school. When children should be learning to read and write, they are instead walking long distances to fetch water during school hours. Too often, the technical solutions being offered to meet the drinking water needs of children in primary and middle schools are not sustainable. The source is primarily ground water. Its location, extraction and distribution is prohibitively expensive. It is simply not possible for all the government schools in any country to have access to water by relying on groundwater. Rooftop rainwater harvesting is the only feasible answer. A typical rooftop rainwater harvesting system to collect 100,00 liters for a remote rural school requires a one-time investment of between $5,000 and $10,000, depending on whether the tank is constructed in alluvial or hard rock areas. For less than 5 to 10 cents per liter, this rainwater system can provide clean drinking water and functioning toilets in a school for 6 months in a drought region. Ground water recharge is a complementary, low- cost solution, that can be implemented by the community. By constructing small dams across dry tributaries and riverbeds and allowing the rainwater collected to percolate, it is possible to replenish wells and aquifers. By channeling surface rainwater into unused and dry open wells, it is possible to revitalize the thousands of dry hand pumps and traditional open wells for irrigation. Local people can be trained to repair and maintain their own hand pumps. Learn more about Water & Community Development >> An Appeal to Provide Drinking Water and Sanitation at Remote, Rural Schools >> Source: http://www.barefootcollege.org/ Constructing Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting Systems Constuction of rainwater harvesting systems in The Gambia will provide clean drinking water to school children in 6 rural communities. Working with Riders for Health in The Gambia, villages of Kankurang and Kanfenkeng now have rooftop rainwater harvesting systems constructed by Barefoot Water Engineers trained by the Barefoot College in Tilonia. Four more rainwater harvesting systems are under construction in other communities in The Gambia. Working with Safer Future for Youth Development in Sierra Leone, four tanks have been constructed and UNICEF has approved funding for rainwater harvesting systems in 4 more schools. Ten rainwater harvesting systems are also under construction or already in use in Mali and Ethiopia. Construction of Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting System in Sierra Leone >> In 2008, the Barefoot College will be working with NGO partners in Africa to create community-managed water systems: in Benin through a small indigenous organization, in Malawi through CCODE and the Homeless Federation, and in Mauritania through Norwegian Church Aid. Funding for nearly 20 rooftop rainwater harvesting systems in Benin, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia is being provided by ALCAN (Canada), Art Venture (Singapore), Fondation Ensemble (France), Het Groene Woudt (Netherlands), Norwegian Church Aid (Norway), Skoll Foundation (USA), and UNICEF. Guidelines for Constructing Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting Systems >> Source: http://www.barefootcollege.org/ Harvesting Rainwater to Meet Basic Human Needs It's estimated that more than one-sixth of the world's population -- about 1.1 billion people -- lack adequate water supplies and have access only to non-potable water. A further 2.4 billion people have no improved sanitation facilities. The UN Millenium Development Goals will remain a dream unless poor communities are a part of the decision making process to manage, control and own the water source and distribution Rainwater harvesting using rooftops and underground tanks is a traditional approach established over hundreds of years. Rainfall on rooftops is collected and channeled into underground tanks or small reservoirs that can store and provide enough safe drinking water to meet daily needs for months. The success of Barefoot initiatives in rainwater harvesting and well recharging as part of the collective efforts of rural communities in India have demonstrated the need to reintroduce traditional, low-cost technologies that communities can implement themselves The Barefoot approach draws upon local knowledge and skills, and involves local people to administer, supervise and finance their own community development. This helps to reduce dependency on external aid and creates a sense of local ownership in managing the local water supply. Source: http://www.barefootcollege.org/ |
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