THANKS TO EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY FOR PHOTOS

On Monday March 22nd KIS participated in a world wide event to try and create the worlds longest toilet queue. This event was organised to support World Water Day, and to highlight the fact that many people do not have clean water or sanitation. The event at our school was organized by the Kindergarten students. They invited all students and staff at school to come and join the queue. Our queue was then joined to all the other participants across the globe to create a very long line up.

The Grade 6 students asked for more details about the project, here are the answers to their questions which will give you a better picture of the event...

1.  What will we do in the queue?

As this is all about raising awareness in a meaningful but fun way, please feel free to sing, dance or just stand and think about how lucky you are to be able to access a clean toilet any time you need it......

OR shuffle from side to side, with a desperate look on your face (think of what the other 2.8 billion people would are waiting world wide for access to a clean, safe toilet would look like)

2.  How long will we be in the queue?

For it to count as a Guinness World Record we need to be all assembled for at least 10 minutes. Reporters are coming to take photos and write an article about this special event so after these photos are taken we are free to get back to our day (hopefully we will be out there for about 20/30 minutes all up).

3.  What will the signing of the petition go towards (who will we submit it to)?

The signatures are going to be scanned and then emailed to the event organisers in London to then be collected together with signatures from similar 'queues' all over the world. Then the signatures will be taken to Washington in April to be presented to ministers from countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America who are meeting in Washington in April for the first ever High Level Meeting on Sanitation and Water. It is here that decisions about funding and the creation of 'clean water' projects that will help bring clean water to the communities who need it KG will bring the petition sheets around first thing Monday morning so that people joining in can get a head start on signing.

4.  What is the BIG aim of this project?  

To create awareness of this HUGE problem and remind us not to take our clean water for granted (check out how KG tallied their water use on our display in the PYP Atrium - all those times we previously used water without thinking how lucky we are! Not any more - KG now remembers how lucky they are to have clean water to ensure they have good hygiene and prevent sickness and death). Until they actually sat down and reflected on it, KG also didn't really think about just how many things they did every day that required water and how their health and life would be different if they didn't have access to clean water.

The signatures from the petition will make sure that our concerns are voiced and hopefully positive action is taken as part of the meeting in Washington.

5.  How can we learn about ways to conserve water?

We can certainly add some of these ideas to our KG display as conservation is one way of showing that you respect water as a
resources, however this particular action (the queue) is not directly about conservation of water but helping to make sure that everyone's basic right to clean water is allowed and provided for.

6.  Do you think we could help the other countries or the world if we participate?

Absolutely! After awareness of the problem comes the money and programs do something towards fixing it :o)

Don't just take my word for it though - check out this link to see the
filmclip for the Nickelback song 'If everyone cared'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IUSZyjiYuY

7.     Can parents join?  Can other community member join?

Yes. Yes and Yes we are hoping to have as many people as possible - spread the word and educate the community about this problem and allow them to do something to change it.

In case you needed any further motivation to act, check out the following videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niko_zDRnus&NR=1


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEnlrE4iMBU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXR4Z_NBD-E&NR=1


http://www.worldtoiletqueue.org/eng

Thanks so much for join us.
The Kindergarten team

March 23, 2010