According to the World Health Organization, by 2025 half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas, and data from the United Nations shows that a quarter of the world’s population currently uses water faster than the planet can replenish natural sources. Climate change, population growth, extreme weather events, and urbanization have contributed significantly to the increased rate of water consumption, making water scarcer, more unpredictable, and more polluted. One of the few ways to stem against this rapid rate of depleting water resources is effective, large-scale water conservation, and this starts by empowering the public with the right practical knowledge on various ways to reduce wastefulness and conserve our invaluable water resources. The Water Conservation Bootcamp aims to instil life-long water conservation skills amongst school-aged children in Nigeria, who would serve as change agents in their families, communities and the country at large. The bootcamp would be organised to enhance integrated life-skills education that focuses on devising creative solutions around water conservation; including practical demonstrations of innovative water conservation practices that can be adopted in daily lives. On completion of the two-week intensive workshop, the participants, who are mainly drawn from students in schools where Hope Spring Water has established Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Clubs, will produce a final project which is a specialized water-saving technology.  

The increasing need for innovative and improved water conservation knowledge, attitude and practice amongst Nigerians cannot be over emphasized. The world’s population currently uses water faster than the planet can replenish natural sources. Climate change, population growth, extreme weather events, and urbanization have further exacerbated water poverty globally. According to the recent UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Report, over 152 million people in Nigeria do not have access to safely managed water supply, leading to over 70,000 deaths of children annually, from water-related diseases. Water poverty disproportionately affects women and children as they are mostly saddled with the responsibility of collecting water in families. Similarly and also worrisome are the many undocumented incidents of physical abuse associated with water poverty, especially when young girls walk lonely bush paths in search of clean water sources for their household and communal use.

Achieving Sustainable Water and Sanitation services for everyone is one of the global Sustainable Development Goals to be reached by 2030. Considering the increased pressure on the finite water resources to meet the multiple needs of humans, it is imperative to raise more awareness on water conservation and secure the future of the next generation by instilling life-long water conservation skills amongst the younger generation. To meet the SDG target, creative and disruptive ideas, a much greater range of practical solutions, combined with commitment and hard work by change agents (especially children and youths) and communities at the local level will be necessary. This programme will contribute knowledge and skills that will make a difference in climate change adaptation for water security in Nigeria. With improved knowledge on more innovative and sustainable ways to access and conserve water, many lives will be saved, health improved, families restored, job opportunities created, and the economy of the nation will improve.

The Water Conservation Bootcamp aims to instil life-long water conservation skills amongst school-aged children in Nigeria, who would serve as change agents in their families, communities and the country at large. The bootcamp would involve a fully integrated life skills education that focuses on devising creative solutions around water conservation; including practical demonstrations of innovative water conservation practices that can be adopted in daily lives, and raising awareness on water conservation, especially among youths.

The project is set to be executed in 2 phases;

Phase 1: Training of particiants on different water conservation techniques

Phase 2: Practical demonstration of innovative water conservation techniques; water conversation games and competition, specialized water conservation project.

We take full responsibility for utilizing resources given to us to execute this project. All materials will be sourced locally, in a manner to ensure value for money; achieving measurable results, and being accountable to supporters, partners and most especially, the people that we are serving. We are particular about following standard operating procedures; we never compromise our reputation and always act in the best interests of the people we are serving. Therefore, we account for every penny given to us and encourage external audit. At the end of the programme, a detailed report of the activities will be shared with donor.

Sustainability is embedded in this project as a capacity building programme, which will equip school-aged children with the requisite skills to save water and subsequently become change agents to drive water conservation nationwide, whilst passing on the knowledge to the next generation. In line with Hope Spring Water’s sustainability action plan, the long term sustainability plan of this programme is to host an annual water conservation bootcamp across the 36 states of Nigeria where youths, including students of tertiary institutions, will be empowered with water conservation skills that that could reduce water consumption by a substantial amount thereby conserving groundwater resources.