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Photo activity: Water for All
This activity comes from the forthcoming Water
for All resource and is suitable for use with 7–11
year olds.
This page takes you through a discussion-based
activity using the two photographs below,
and links to an online
slide show to use with your pupils.
We hope you enjoy it. Do let us know what you think by emailing
coolplanet@oxfam.org.uk.
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Picture
One was taken in the Kenyan village of Kipsaraman.
The padlock demonstrates how precious the water supply is in
the area. |
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Picture
Two was taken in the Perrytown camp for the displaced,
outside Monrovia in Liberia. The installation of water pumps
has brought considerable relief to the people here, even if
the lever is tough for young arms to pump!
(Technology doesn’t always take into account the size,
age or abilities of those who have to use it!) |
Activity
Ask the group to look at Picture
One:
- What things do they notice about the picture?
(E.g. outdoors, padlocked)
- Why might the tap be padlocked? (E.g. shortage
of water, there's a war and the enemy want to prevent access to
water)
In fact, although your pupils might think the padlock
is there to deny people access to water, it is meant to conserve
water. The people in this village in Kenya have agreed to take water
from the tap they share for just a few hours each day. The land
can be dry and water is very precious.
Ask: Should people in Britain be conserving water
too?
Show the group the water
consumption fact box.
Ask the group:
- What kinds of things could we be doing to conserve
water?
- Should we have a lock on the water supply from
time to time?
Now say:
Imagine that when we go home tonight we find that
our water supply has been shut down.
- How would being without water affect us?
Scribe the children’s responses as a stimulus
for the next activity.
Ask the children to try to track some of the consequences
of losing their water supply using a framework
such as the one shown here. Either fill in our framework together
onto your interactive whiteboard, or let the children draw their
own on large sheets of paper.
- Can the children begin to understand the enormity
of having insufficient reliable water in or near home?
- Can they also see that the consequences would
apply to anyone in that situation, wherever they live in the world?
Now ask the children to look at Picture
Two.
- What do they notice about this one?
Tell the group: This pump is the main water supply
for this girl in Liberia. Without it she could face the same kinds
of consequences that you have already identified.
Now say: Imagine – water was short but now it’s
back on!
Display the photo and ask the group to suggest all the positive
words they can think of to place around its edge.
Finally, ask the group to suggest, and agree on, captions
or titles for the two photographs.
Click here for the pages
to show your pupils.
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