Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 2-3 October, the Branch of the Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia (CAREC) in Uzbekistan held a number of events in the Republic of Karakalpakstan within the framework of the UzWaterAware project funded by the European Union.

The events are organized with the support of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan (RK), the Ministry of Public Education of the RK, the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan and its branch in Nukus.

More than 160 pupils of 3-4 grades of 28 and 31 schools in Nukus and 5-7 grades of 31 and 32 schools of Nukus district participated in environmental events with the involvement of representatives of the press services of the Ministry of Water Resources of the Republic of Karakalpakstan and the Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Ecology and Environmental Protection as well as local and Tashkent journalists.

The activities included eco-lessons for children based on five social information videos developed within the project to raise awareness of the rational use of water resources in various spheres of life - agriculture and water-saving technologies, household use and economy, virtual water, sustainable and respect for resources. In addition, a conversation was held with children about ways to protect and save water in regions with limited water resources during the quarantine period. The teachers who attended the eco-lessons noted the creative format for presenting information about water resources, which they will definitely continue to use in their lessons with students.

It should be noted that in December 2019, the project team already conducted eco-lessons in Karakalpakstan, in particular at school No. 9 of Amudarya district for 80 students of the junior and senior grades. It was then that the teachers asked to pay attention to the preparation of children’s cognitive materials in the Karakalpak language for use in districts remote from the center.

During the visit, on 2 October, a meeting was also held at the Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Karakalpakstan in order to transfer the products developed within the framework of the project - social videos about water, a children’s book "Valuable Knowledge of Priceless Water", translated into the Karakalpak language at the request of the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan, an information booklet with advice to prevent the risks of coronavirus infection, as well as branded personal protective equipment (masks and hand antiseptics), prepared according to the request of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

“We are very grateful to the project for giving so much attention to education and awareness on water and ecology. Special thanks for preparing materials in the Karakalpak language. From our side, we will definitely transfer all materials and protective equipment to district schools, as well as maximize distribution of a children’s book about water and videos among teachers through all available channels,” said Kuanysh Zhubanov, director of the Republican Educational and Methodological Center under the Ministry of Education and Science of Karakalpakstan.

In total, 3,000 masks and antiseptics, 5,000 children’s books were transferred to the Republic of Karakalpakstan. During the meeting, it was noted that the comprehensive cooperation of the project with ministries and departments, public organizations and journalists will help ensure the sustainability of the project and the developed knowledge products.

“Today the Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan faces great tasks. Non-governmental organizations act as assistants to the state in solving some of these tasks. We hope that the educational materials developed by CAREC over the four years of the UzWaterAware project will help in promoting environmental education among the country’s population, ”emphasized Shakhnoza Umarova, Director of the CAREC Branch in Uzbekistan, project manager.

On 3 October, a meeting was held with more than 40 representatives of the Karakalpak division of the Eco-Movement, as well as the women’s wing of the Ecological Party in Nukus. Among the participants were employees of various fields, such as education, medicine, ecology and others. During the conversation, special attention was paid to the role of women in water conservation and awareness raising. In turn, the participants expressed their interest in using and disseminating the information received, as well as in further cooperation in various areas.

Similar eco-lessons will be held in schools in two more regions of Uzbekistan - Surkhandarya and Khorezm, as part of the final stage of the project.

As a reminder, the project “Raising awareness and partnership for sustainable water and environmental development in Uzbekistan. Component 3 "(or UzWaterAware) has been implemented by CAREC with the financial support of the European Union since 2016 and is part of the Sustainable Water Management in Rural Areas of Uzbekistan Program. The national partner of the project is the Ministry of Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan. UzWaterAware has become one of the projects that managed to draw attention to water and environmental problems in the country and, in partnership with government agencies, NGOs and the media, carry out large-scale work with the population.