NNA - Today, the $44 million Water Sanitation and Conservation project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development, held a closing ceremony for a $300,000 grant to Saints Coeurs-Ain Najm School to engage its students and teachers in water conservation and management. This grant transformed Saints Coeurs Ain Najm to be “the first water model school” in Lebanon. This allows the school to share its new knowledge on water conservation with 20 sister schools all over Lebanon, thereby reaching a total of 20,000 students and parents, and more than 200 teachers. Chargé d’affaires Richard Michaels, USAID Mission Director Eileen Devitt, Minister of Energy and Water, Walid Fayyad, Minister of Education Abbas Al Halabi, members of parliament, Saints Coeurs Ain Najm Principal Sister Nawal Akiki, the school faculty, and a selection of students, attended the ceremony.
Through the ten-month grant, the school installed a rainwater harvesting system, a hydroponic system within a greenhouse for growing lettuce, and a smart irrigation system, which is automated. All these rely on solar power that was also installed under the grant. Bathrooms were also equipped with water-saving fixtures. Sales profits from the hydroponics-grown lettuce were used to support students with scholarships. Additionally, the school held several educational and awareness activities for teachers, parents, and students, including field trips and training sessions and a fun-filled World Water Day, which included aqua games, a race for water, water and irrigation experiments and poems and presentations.
Today’s event included a tour of the USAID-supported interventions within the school and a celebration in the school’s theater where certificates of excellence awards were distributed to students.
In his remarks, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Richard Michaels stated, “Today’s event brings us hope to see that there are academic institutions educating their students beyond the classroom to become responsible citizens who work collectively to better manage, conserve, and protect water… Thanks to your sustained commitment, you are the first water model school in Lebanon, and we are glad that the U.S. Government, through USAID, has been on your side to make this achievement possible.”
This year alone, the school saved more than 6,100 cubic meters of water per year, which is equivalent to the annual water consumption needs of about 100 people. Not only that, it will use all the water-saving installations to continue educating students on water conservation for years to come.
“We, at Saints Coeurs, have always been committed to sustainable development,” said Sister Nawal Akiki, school principal. “This grant has empowered us to focus our efforts on raising educational knowledge on water conservation and management, which have become imperative in a country with dwindling resources. I believe it has become imperative to include these two important topics in all school curricula.”
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