Guest Blog by Mia Balansag (Enviromom)
When learning meets the purpose of positively impacting society through a clear pathway for action, people listen. More than 20 parents signed up their children to participate in the Writing Camp for A Cause in a week’s notice before launch. The Virtual Camp is a fundraising activity to support the Water Project by the Abu Dhabi Homeschoolers Association (ADHSA), to raise awareness to children on water conservation, good citizenship, and literacy skills. As identified by the World Resources Institute in its 2019 report, water scarcity is a risk relevant to the UAE. Therefore, educating school-age children towards resource conservation can drive changes in daily habits, is a step to addressing water issues.
What else made the Writing Camp meaningful in 4 weeks?
Unlike any other writing experience, the Writing Camp empowered children to be ‘Agents of Change’ by personifying a role model – a hero. Behind the scenes is a child who embarked on a learning discovery to transform into an Eco-hero. And that story goes like this…
What was the impact?
Mia Balansag of Abu Dhabi EnviroMoms Group partnered with Save Our World to deliver the Camp learning objectives. ADHSA volunteers facilitated the zoom breakout sessions to engage children with their peers in a shared learning experience. To motivate children, Qiwi Robotic Technologies sponsored a Robotic Arduino Kit and free lessons to the “Most inspiring Eco-Hero Story,” selected by Save Our World Author and Illustrator. The collection of short stories is the labor of love from our children who believed in a worthwhile cause.
The Water Project was a rare opportunity for ADHSA members to get involved in a meaningful fundraising campaign- an initiative done for the first-time. The collective activities of ADHSA raised funds through Yallagive of AED16,106, exceeding the target of AED15,000.
Adam Torrey, the Regional Director of The Water Project, based in Dubai, will ensure the funds’ deployment to the following activities:
- 181 Covid-awareness trainings conducted
- 2,353 households have functioning handwashing stations, soap, and knowledge of proper handwashing techniques to fight diseases in disadvantaged communities in Kenya
Learn more about how The Water Project is helping protect the most vulnerable from COVID 19 here: https://thewaterproject.org/community/
The vision of a world of leaving no one behind on water access is possible through collective community efforts. Will you join in achieving that aspiration?
About the Author:
Mia Balansag became an accidental homeschooler due to the pandemic. Learn more about her work on her website: www.miabalansag.com