Tales of Water

This project seeks to draw attention to water issues by turning a positive eye on the natural resource rather than using "scare" tactics (e.g., sharing abstract, moralistic, or political warnings for the future) that might otherwise engender only passive resignation. Organisers point out that water is often considered to have a negative connotation (floods, tsunamis, drought, pollution). Although there are many water-related problems worldwide, they acknowledge, water remains a positive factor in many people's lives as well; people all over the world depend on water for different reasons (e.g. drinking water, food, work, entertainment). By viewing people's positive experiences with water through the eyes of children from different regions of the world - that is, by turning a fresh eye on something ordinary - this project aims to communicate about water as a life-enhancing element, while at the same time recognising the pressing issues associated with it - or its loss. "To show what water means to a person, a group or a community, we just show it. That simple. The different 'Tales of Water' explain these issues in concrete terms, in addition to showing children's personal relations to water. These stories show that all people deal with water on a daily basis and that water is in many ways a life condition."

To highlight these stories, 5 different cultures and 5 different ways of living in relation to water will be covered. For each of the 5 major river basins, a 'story-line' will be defined beforehand. The choice for a continent and a specific river basin will be directly linked to the main theme of WWF4 - local action for a global challenge - and its 5 sub-themes (click here to learn more), as well as to the indicators for the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) focused on these issues (click here to learn more). The rivers at stake are:

1. Mekong in Thailand
2. Niger in Mali
3. Pangani in Tanzania
4. Jordan in Jordan
5. Tacana at the border of Mexico and Guatemala

The thread underlying all project activities related to these basins is water: its availability, its use, and the consequences in children's daily life. The stories will be told from two points of view: 1. What does their world look like (homes, possessions, surroundings, landscape)? 2. What are their emotions (alone and in a social context)? The main medium for appoaching these questions is photography, which organisers conceive of as "very powerful in showing 'slices of life' in an objective and neutral way, so people seeing the pictures believe what they see, and thus can easily relate to the story told. They even can identify themselves if certain key elements in the story look familiar in a way." A photo book will be "illustrated" by the personal stories of the children being photographed. Each of these stories will be written in local languages by local authors, and translated into English. The book is meant to be given as a gift that stimulates the receivers to think about the subject and discuss it in their personal surroundings. In addition to the book, a CD-ROM and/or DVD will be developed. Furthermore, all children participating in the project will be provided with disposable cameras; their photographs will be shown at an exhibition during the WWF4. The aim is to present the visiting public with an international, personal view on the impact of water on different aspects of normal life.

To support exchange among young people, an e-learning environment will be created with courses on each of the regions. Produced by The Network University (TNU), these courses are constructed for both Dutch and Mexican school pupils (12-17 years of age) and for youth in the selected countries. The website will provide background information on the selected countries and specific information on the conditions of the children living in these countries. Participants will be asked to create music, plays, drawings, pictures, stories, poems, or symbols that visualise these conditions. For each country, a tailor-made version of the courses will be constructed in concert with local partners. Here, tales from the 5 basins will be placed in a social, political, environmental, and economical context. Participating children will be invited to share stories and express opinions about their own relation to water. If possible, exchange between youth of different regions will be stimulated. For this component of the project, organisers seek to select schools that are not yet connected to the internet.

To share these experiences with WWF4 participants, teams composed of university students studying multimedia or film will visit participating schools. The resulting 5 short film documentaries will show the daily living conditions of children in the selected areas from a child's perspective and in a positive manner, in an effort to inspire both children and their families and to stimulate viewers to question the "normal" abundance and use of water. Produced by Netwerk, the documentaries will be distributed to national and international television networks and will be shown during the WWF.

Environment, Agriculture, Health, Children.