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UPDATE ON PROJECTS UNDERWAY
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Al Sedeeq School in West Bank Completed
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WRAP completed construction of its second project in the West Bank in April 2015. In partnership with EcoPeace Middle East's Bethlehem Office, WRAP constructed a cistern system at the Al Sedeeq Primary School located in the Village of Husan in the West Bank, an area with an average annual rainfall of only 500 mL. Al Sedeeq is a public school serving 389 Arab boys in 13 grades. The school's primary source of water is an unreliable municipal source, and because of this, the school experienced over 30 days of restroom closures due to water shortages last year.
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Students from Al Sedeeq school with WRAP members and partners |
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The new cistern was dedicated at a ceremony in October, attended by WRAP members, EcoPeace partners, Al Sedeeq students and faculty, and community leaders.
The cistern system, an underground cement storage tank, holds rainwater collected and diverted from the roof of the school. The rainwater is then pumped to the school's restrooms, where it is utilized for toilet flushing. The cistern holds up to 62,000 liters of rainwater, greatly reducing the school's cost for water and vulnerability to an unreliable municipal water source. The project will help to ensure continued usage of clean restrooms throughout the entire school year and provide the possibility for summer classes and community gardening.
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The overall effort includes a supplemental environmental curriculum overseen by EcoPeace to heighten water awareness and conservation, while empowering local water resource stewardship. Water conservation, the interconnectedness of the surrounding ecosystem, and hands-on student engagement in monitoring and reporting of rainfall collection and usage data serve as the foundation for the program. The installation of the cistern at the Al Sedeeq School and the parallel environmental curriculum was made possible thanks to grants from the Jerusalem Fund, the Firedoll Foundation, and the April Fund.
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Student at the Al Sedeeq School expresses gratitude for the new cistern at the dedication ceremony |
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Blog Connects Students Abroad
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During 2015, a collaboration was launched between the Albuquerque Academy in Albuquerque, NM, the Sur Baher Girls School in East Jerusalem, and WRAP. Teachers and their students worked together to develop a joint blog, plant4peace, to link the environmental clubs at the Academy and Sur Baher. Led by teachers Karen Temple Beamish from Albuquerque Academy and Zoubaida Salman from Sur Baher, the blog, which currently features student biographies from both schools in Arabic and English, will allow the students to share pictures and stories of their environmental projects.
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At Sur Baher Girls School, the environmental club has been working on recycling, utilizing their rainwater harvesting system, and maintaining an herb garden, from which they create various environmentally friendly products to sell. At Albuquerque Academy, the environmental club has been exploring the local environment and tending their own garden, where they have planted spinach, lettuce, turnips, radishes, and other vegetables. The goal of the plant4peace blog is to allow students to share their experiences and what they learn about the environment around them, as well as build a meaningful connection between the schools, teachers, and the middle school students. WRAP's role, led by volunteer Margaret Ferrato, is to assist in managing and maintaining the blog and arranging for timely translations. In 2016, the project partners will work to strengthen peer-to-peer interactions by linking students individually or in small groups.
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Sur Baher Science Fair
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In May 2015, Zoubaida Salman, Science teacher at the Sur Baher School for Girls and Project Educator for WRAP's rainwater harvesting project within the school, hosted a science fair featuring the science projects and experiments of over 50 students. The theme of the fair was "Your Health From Your Lifestyle" and the projects represented the culmination of many efforts by Ms. Salman to enhance the science and environmental education within her school over the past year.
In a letter recapping the Science Fair, she reflected on the year's projects, writing:
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Students present their projects at the Sur Baher school science fair |
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"This year our school ran several unique science programs. We further developed the herb and water garden, and began producing our own essential oils. We also continued the after school science program, where we provided additional science classes for interested students. We produced our own homemade natural products, including soaps, perfumes, and cosmetics. Our rain harvesting system provided water for toilet flushing, as well as a platform for research. Twenty of our advanced 7th grade science students attended an after school program at the Jerusalem Science Museum. All these programs are laying the foundation for a better future for these young women."
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The science and environmental education curriculum has been enhanced by the rainwater harvesting system and WRAP's continued involvement within the school, made possible by WRAP's donors and volunteers. WRAP is committed to deepening its engagement and meeting additional resource needs at Sur Baher and all of our project schools to further support devoted educators like Zoubaida Salman.
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Rotary Hands Across Waters Initiates Program
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In 2015, the Rotary Hands Across Waters (RHAW) program commenced throughout Israel, whereby student groups from 12 diverse schools are challenged to utilize innovative solutions to overcome the world's pressing water challenges, while at the same time promoting cross-cultural collaboration amongst the youth.
The program is implemented through Hi-Teach and its founder Dr. Amnon Shefi. The effort is supported by a growing number of domestic and international Rotary Clubs, private water companies, Technion University, and the Ministry of Education.
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A group of students present their poster project at cross-cultural exchange gathering during the WATEC Conference, coordinated by Dr. Amnon Shefi of Hi-Teach |
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WRAP is a proud supporting partner of the program and its newest Board Member, Dr. Gerald Sussman, has been instrumental in establishing the program's foundation and its partnership with Rotary.
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To learn more about this program, visit www.handsacrosswaters.org.
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Fall 2015 Trip Report
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Director of Operations and Education, Dr. Malcolm Siegel visited WRAP schools in Northern Israel as part of his Fall 2015 WRAP Mission. These included the Tuba Zangaria Middle School and the Eynot Yarden School on Kibbutz Amir.
The students at Tuba Zangaria have maintained the 12,000 liter WRAP rainwater system and reported rain water data since December 2014. All of the school's toilets receive water from the system and about half of the required water (93,000 L of the total 200,000 L) has been supplied by the WRAP system since installation. The students also received second prize in a national science competition for their project on the rainwater harvesting system.
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Rainwater harvesting system at Tuba Zangaria Middle School |
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Maintenance issues at the Eynot Yarden school have prevented full use of the two rainwater harvesting systems at that school. Inspection of the system by Dr. Siegel and a subsequent visit by WRAP project engineer, Amir Yechieli, has remedied the problems, and the system will be fully operational during the 2015-2016 rainy season. The educator working with WRAP, Liad Amir, has held several educational cultural exchange activities with students from the school at Tuba Zangaria, and this relationship has provided a good foundation for the environmental peacebuilding efforts that WRAP promotes.
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Dr. Siegel also visited several Bedouin projects in the Negev in order to establish connections with this underserved community. The sites included Wadi Attir project, the Al-Sanabel School in Abu Kaff, and the Hura Women's Catering Enterprise. At these sites, examples of sustainable desert agricultural and livestock practices, biogas generation from compost, Bedouin-run businesses serving the needs of the local recognized or non-recognized communities and green school curricula are being developed. WRAP is considering future partnership opportunities with these groups related to water conservation and environmental education projects, thereby extending the reach of WRAP activities to the Bedouin population in the southern part of Israel.
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Educational Resources
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WRAP created a new resources section on its website, housing two collections of resources: 1) "For Everyone," is intended for general audiences interested in WRAP's efforts and rainwater harvesting more broadly, and 2) "For Educators," was developed for WRAP's school partners to support their educational curricula around rainwater harvesting and related environmental topics. For instance, Dr. Malcolm Siegel prepared a lecture on grey water systems for presentation to the students at the Sur Baher Girls School. The lecture can be found on the "For Educators" page and will be used by the school alongside test equipment provided by WRAP for water chemistry studies.
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Excerpt from Dr. Siegel's grey water presentation |
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For My Earth E-Book Available Soon
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Early in 2016, WRAP and the For My Earth Project will publish an e-book entitled, "One Raindrop at a Time: Environmental Education and Peacebuilding in Sur Baher, Jerusalem." This book is the first in a series of e-books produced by WRAP and the For My Earth Project describing environmental projects at schools receiving assistance from WRAP.
The book showcases the environmental education projects carried out by students and teachers at the Sur Baher Girls School and the Afaq School for Learning Disabilities.
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The E-Book will feature stories about environmental education projects related to rainwater harvesting, such as the greenhouse and gardens at the Al Afaq school, pictured here |
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WRAP's first rainwater harvesting projects were completed at these two schools in the community of Sur Baher in East Jerusalem. The faculties at both schools are devoted to environmental education as a path to science literacy and vocational skills. WRAP is proud to help produce this book to showcase the impressive achievements at both of these schools. Half of the total proceeds from sales of the e-book and hardcopy editions will be used to fund additional environmental and science education projects at the schools.
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WRAP Teacher Workshop
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In 2016, WRAP plans to sponsor a workshop for Arab and Jewish teachers currently involved or interested in partnering with WRAP. Representatives from the six active WRAP schools in Israel and Palestine and several other schools will be invited, and the focus will be to share information on current and potential water harvesting educational activities and to brainstorm about Arab/Jewish school collaboration.
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This 2016 WRAP water and environmental peacebuilding workshop will provide a unique opportunity for teachers from Jewish and Palestinian schools to convene and discuss ways to leverage their water stewardship activities in support of environmental peacebuilding activities. The workshop goal will be to develop ideas for collaborative, ongoing, water-related environmental research and activities to strengthen social cohesion and facilitate dialogue between Arab and Jewish students in Israel and Palestine, and students in the United States. The Albuquerque Academy will participate in the workshop to provide input on collaboration opportunities between U.S. schools and schools in Israel/Palestine. Up to twenty schools with water harvesting systems in Israel and Palestine will be invited to participate in-person or by webinar.
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This year, WRAP welcomed its newest Board Member and two new volunteer members!
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Dr. Gerald Sussman, WRAP's newest Board Member, has been instrumental in establishing the Rotary Hands Across Waters Program (RHAW) and represents WRAP's role as a supporting partner of the initiative. Dr. Sussman also serves as President of the Southwest Center for the Study of Hospital and Health Care Systems (SWC). Over the past 20 years, SWC has helped develop Israel's first peacetime trauma care system in collaboration with the Surgeon General of the IDF Medical Corps and the six level-one hospitals in Israel.
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Leora Jaeger joins WRAP as a Board Advisor, lending her expertise in grant writing, program development, partner relationships, and collaborative projects. She is President of LJS Consulting, Inc. and has taken lead roles in numerous public health planning and evaluation projects including many surveys and focus groups designed to assess perceptions and impacts of a wide range of public health and educational programs.
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Maggie Ferrato joined the WRAP team in May 2015 and supports the development of an online learning platform to link after school environmental clubs in Sur Baher, East Jerusalem and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ms. Ferrato works full-time at Georgetown University’s Center for Social Justice, overseeing operations and communications, and supporting the Program on Justice and Peace and the Program on Education, Inquiry, and Justice.
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To read our new members' full bios, visit http://www.wrapdc.org/who-we-are/.
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Every penny of every dollar WRAP receives goes directly to our projects, providing water for sanitation to hundreds of school children in the Middle East, educating students and communities on water and environmental stewardship, and promoting cross-cultural exchange through the shared experience of water conservation.
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Please consider donating before the end of the year
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Use the button to donate online or donate by mail:
Water Resources Action Project
1001 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 7105
Washington, DC 20004
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Amazon Smile
WRAP has partnered with AmazonSmile so that anyone can support our efforts through everyday purchases on Amazon. Support WRAP through your holiday purchases this season.
Get started here: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/80-0541423
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