Youth
Action

Our passion fuels our will

Zest. Persistence. Passion. Commitment. Courage. Vision. Positive Attitude. These define the spirit of youth activism. Young people have proven over and over that they are great teachers and creative thinkers. The following are examples of young people making revolutionary changes in their communities, helping to end the silent threat of water-borne disease, and fighting for their right to clean and safe water.

Little Steps

“At home I re-used tap water to flush the toilet,” says Lin Yan from China. “The next month, my mum was surprised to see the water bill drop by 20 per cent! Seeing the state of affairs around me, I decided to start the ‘How to Save Water at Home’campaign. I printed flyers and I now have a good team of people who have joined hands with me. Every year on World Water Day we organise awareness events in our community. Though a little step, we at least know that we are moving in the right direction and ensuring the population, especially the poor, gain access to enough water for less money.”

Refugees Toilet Miracle

After the civil war in Sierra Leone, refugee camps were overflowing. Mandela Camp, one of the biggest, had only 7 toilets serving 1000 people! These toilets were totally unclean: the waste flowed right down a ditch past John Koroma’s front door. Concerned about the health risks he and others faced, John decided take action!With the support of his friends, family and community members, John applied for (and received) funding to renovate the toilets. The team devised a plan to rebuild the toilets, installing cisterns and bowls, connecting them to an 80 metre plastic pipe that carried the sewage to the main sewer on the street. For only US$1045, John made a huge difference.

Nina Best

Anika Singh

Dan Porges/Still Pictures

Solar Powered School Days

Vu Thuy Anh was incensed to learn that village children in her native Viet Nam could not go to school during the dry season because they had to walk 30 km each day to fetch water. Vu and an engineer designed a system to draw water from the nearest spring 12 km away. The solar-powered system uses a pump to move water from the spring through a pipeline and into a holding tank in the village. In two days Vu, her friends, and 60 villagers dug the trench for the pipe. By the end of the week, the holding tank was full. The project engineer, Nguyen Xuan An, trained local youth to oil the moving parts of the pump and monitor it regularly. The kids, accompanied by many young helpers, eagerly check it daily. They come to view the pump that has saved them so much and allowed them to attend school again.