Project “Design for Change” on Topic: Water Matters

This project was done by the students and teachers of our school.

FEEL

List the situations/problems in your school/community that bothered you:

After doing this project, we students and teachers have observed that Water is a very essential factor of life, but nobody values it. When we went to field trips and spoke to other people, they were not even aware about water safety. 70% of water is required in Human body system and every day we must have 1 to 2 litres of water which I felt people in rural areas must know. 

Who was affected by the situation/problem and what did they say?
The same as above; people are affected by this problem, they are unaware about the differences between tap water and borewell water. They use common water for both drinking and washing, 

which we have shown them in a Water Report and explained to them. After explaining, they got 

awareness and they thanked us and told us that they are going to maintain this neatness from now

onwards.

 IMAGINE

State the problem you chose and why did you choose it?
Our school is situated the outskirts of Visakhapatnam, [Tagarapuvalsa village]. 

We get clean drinking water from the city. We realize that people in the villages around our school drink the ordinary water. So we chose this topic.

List the different solutions you came up with and which one did you choose to implement and why?
1) We thought that we will get some expert to give Guest Lecture. 2) We though to take 3 different areas of water around us. 3) Making Banner of “Water Matters” 

From the above, we have implemented Solution 2 which says taking water samples. We have made “Water Matters” Banner which we have not implemented because that was in English which will be a communication problem 

with the villages. We faced the same situation for other point also.

DO

This is our story of change! (Write in brief your act of DO) 
Water Matters Report: Safe water is an issue that affects everyone, everywhere. All living beings need water to survive. Oakridge International School has taken up a noble project in DFC [Design for Change] on “Water Matters”. First we have taken water samples from three areas – “Majjivalasa,” “Thadipalem,” & “Gollalapalem” and these water samples were sent for ‘Testing’ to B S Chemicals, F6/b, Palace Heights Apts., Vijayanagar Palace Layout, Pedawaltair Jn., Visakhapatnam.

This kind of awareness has taught and created awareness about water chemicals, both to our students and the people residing in these areas. Besides, we made a banner related to our project “Water Matters” and explained to our students about safe water through photographs and content from the internet.

As part of creating awareness on water, Students have gone on a field trip to a Farmer’s House and gave information regarding Health Hazards and “how water is important”? Later, students showed a presentation from using internet and discussed creating pure and impure water. Simple tips were given by students as to how they can keep Water clean, by putting water container in a safe corner and closing it properly with a lid. Water can also be purified by mixing a small thing called “Fitkari” (in Hindi) with water.

One more field trip also took place today to a near-by village, “Gollalapalem” to spread awareness of Water — where students have shown the differences of water by giving them neat and clean water and spread awareness that water will make them healthy and wise. This awareness on Health Hazards was propagated by our students from Oakridge International School, Vizag. They have publicized and created the methods to make water pure, and thereby to have healthy lives. Students have learnt how Water is essential in our everyday life and is the elixir of life.