Date: June 03, 2007
Blog by pioneer Caro
Hey, we are not just the nominal Club of Pioneers! No, our pioneers ignite the spark of pioneering for real. The best example: Caro. She just introduced us to the "soccer clinic" concept she developed in Zambia. The idea is simple: educating kids about the environment through what all kids love to do - playing soccer. The event sponsored by the Environmental Council of Zambia, NGOs and Caro herself will be part of the activities taking place at the world environment day on june 5th . The whole event will be covered by local media and is hoped to replicate in other schools and hopefully on a larger scale. To understand where her pioneering spark comes from Caro first gives us some background information on the situation in Zambia. More information on the soccer clinic itself will be posted on CoP as well.
Caro's Blog: Zambia is faced with different environmental challenges and the most predominant ones are the recurrent floods as a result of heavy rains, severe drought, Water pollution and soil degradation largely due to mining activities, inadequate sanitation Soil degradation, Air pollution (especially on the Copperbelt), Wildlife depletion (fish and game) and deforestation.
I was shocked to read an article a few months ago that the town of Kabwe (central province) is Africa’s world’s fourth polluted city as a result of lead ore mining. This is due to the fact that for many years the smeltering process was not regulated by government and there were no pollution controls. The mining operation started in 1902 and ceased operating in 1994. The air, soil and water in this area are polluted. The pollution causes a lot of damage to the developmental process of children especially lead which has a hazardous effect on children’s mental development and to pregnant women.
This situation is unfortunate because if the local people were empowered with knowledge about what was happening to their environment they would have exercised their rights by voicing their concerns and put pressure on the relevant authorities.
The Government established the National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) in 1994 however, this plan targets mostly corporate entities and is not packaged to meet the needs of the general public at every level of society. It is also too academic and ambiguous without offering practical solutions.
I believe that solutions to Zambia’s environmental need to take a local approach. The approach should suite the needs of the people and must incorporate local knowledge and indigenous cultural beliefs. The youths and children in Zambia make up 60% of the population. There are not many environmental programmes that aimed at educating children about the environment. In fact there is only one established NGO that has programmes that educate children about conservation and wildlife. The children are the future generation of any country and need to be included in environmental programmes.
The issue of poverty is sometimes used as an excuse for not coming up with activities for this age group, however, a cleaner environment is necessary for health and economic development and is a basic human right. Children should grow up in a healthy environment.
All children like to play and interact well when they are playing a game that they enjoy. They are also good at passing on information to their friends and peers and are therefore good at advertising. The children’s soccer clinic is aimed at providing a platform for playing and educating children aged between 8 and 15 years about the environment.
About Caro: Caro is an Export Promotion Advisor to the EU Mining Sector Diversification Programme. The project is targeted at small scale miners whose mining activities in Zambia are responsible for large scale environmental degradation. The major objective is to develop mining in a sustainable way.
Caro holds a BA in economics and is currently doing a MA in sustainable development. She travelled and lived in a lot of foreign countries and loves the experience.
Victoria Falls in Zambia Foto: www.q2travel.co.za
Caro's Blog:
I was shocked to read an article a few months ago that the town of Kabwe (central province) is Africa’s world’s fourth polluted city as a result of lead ore mining. This is due to the fact that for many years the smeltering process was not regulated by government and there were no pollution controls. The mining operation started in 1902 and ceased operating in 1994. The air, soil and water in this area are polluted. The pollution causes a lot of damage to the developmental process of children especially lead which has a hazardous effect on children’s mental development and to pregnant women.
This situation is unfortunate because if the local people were empowered with knowledge about what was happening to their environment they would have exercised their rights by voicing their concerns and put pressure on the relevant authorities.
The Government established the National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) in 1994 however, this plan targets mostly corporate entities and is not packaged to meet the needs of the general public at every level of society. It is also too academic and ambiguous without offering practical solutions.
I believe that solutions to Zambia’s environmental need to take a local approach. The approach should suite the needs of the people and must incorporate local knowledge and indigenous cultural beliefs. The youths and children in Zambia make up 60% of the population. There are not many environmental programmes that aimed at educating children about the environment. In fact there is only one established NGO that has programmes that educate children about conservation and wildlife. The children are the future generation of any country and need to be included in environmental programmes.
The issue of poverty is sometimes used as an excuse for not coming up with activities for this age group, however, a cleaner environment is necessary for health and economic development and is a basic human right. Children should grow up in a healthy environment.
All children like to play and interact well when they are playing a game that they enjoy. They are also good at passing on information to their friends and peers and are therefore good at advertising. The children’s soccer clinic is aimed at providing a platform for playing and educating children aged between 8 and 15 years about the environment.
About Caro:
Caro holds a BA in economics and is currently doing a MA in sustainable development. She travelled and lived in a lot of foreign countries and loves the experience.
“I like to be proactive and to initiate or involve my self in community projects. I like the adrenalin! I also like to socialize, open to new experiences, relaxing and I like art.”
Victoria Falls in Zambia
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