For Immediate Release:

March 23, 2007

Contact:

Stephanie Kaleva, 406-585-4115

Bozeman, Mont., March 23, 2007 – As a world leader in water education for children, Project WET, through its international network, promoted sustainable water management on World Water Day in Argentina, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Fiji, France, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, and Vietnam.

Hungary
From March 20 - 22, Project WET Hungary conducted 30-hour accreditation training for teachers, focusing on the Project WET methodology. As a closing activity, each participating teacher brought children from her class to participate in a water festival. Festival activities were facilitated by the newly trained teachers.

Vietnam
Facilitated by Project WET Vietnam, one thousand students from Huynh Van Chinh School, heads of the children and parent unions, principals, education specialists, and journalists participated in Project WET activities on March 17th to learn about local water topics of concern. At the end of the morning, students drew pictures of the hydrologic cycle, describing each part, explained how the world shares water and the major water issues in their community, and wrote a story communicating their personal connection to water.

Fiji
This year’s activities, with a theme of “Our Islands with Water,” examined ways people in the Pacific can deal with their water concerns and develop responsible ways to use and manage water resources. Project WET Fiji held student and teacher training workshops in February, focusing on river care and addressing water scarcity and conservation. Project WET Fiji, in partnership with SOPAC (South Pacific Applied Geosciences Commission), also celebrated with a water festival on March 22nd. At the festival, Project WET activities were done at various stations and an activity book, “Our Islands with Water,” was given to participants.

Turkey
Project WET attended the kick-off meeting on March 19th and 20th for the 5th World Water Forum, which will take place in Istanbul, Turkey in March, 2009. At the 4th World Water Forum in 2006 (Mexico City, Mexico), Project WET hosted the Global Water Education Village, Children’s Water School, a Special Session on Water Education for Children and Youth, and the Second Children’s World Water Forum.

France
On March 22, 2007, Project WET presented the history of Project WET and interactive demonstrations of the Project WET methodology to Nestlé Waters Management and Technology employees. On April 2, Project WET France launches and becomes the 24th international program to join Project WET’s International Network. For the launch, Project WET materials have been localized and translated into French, and student action components have been integrated into many of the activities. Project WET France is supported by key education stakeholders in France.

Switzerland
On March 29th, Project WET presents to Nestlé employees, providing details on Nestlé’s impact through the Nestlé Waters/Project WET partnership. Employees also participate in Project WET activities.

Italy
To facilitate an understanding of Project WET, its curriculum, and the program’s impact, Project WET Italy facilitated Project WET activities for Nestlé Waters employees on March 22nd.

Central and South America
Project WET and UNESCO-IHP, Latin America and Caribbean, launched the UNESCO/Project WET joint initiative, Water and Education, with celebrations in Mexico, Argentina, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic on March 22nd. During the celebrations, UNESCO and Project WET trained educators and introduced water managers to the publication, Water and Education: General Guide for Teachers of the Americas and the Caribbean, which was produced as part of the Project WET and UNESCO-IHP joint initiative.

South Africa
Project WET South Africa hosted a series of activities on March 22 that included a dam clean-up, programs on water quality and conservation, as well as a public education program on sanitation, health, and hygiene. Participants also toured a wetland and learned about caring for them.

About Project WET
Project WET, over the last twenty-three years, has developed, published, and delivered interactive, hands-on, science-based curriculum to more than 183,000 teachers in 25 countries. Its more than 300 hands-on, interactive science-based water resource activities have been delivered through a “train-the-trainer” model, which consists of more than 100 state- and country-level coordinators and 2,700 community-level facilitators. The 183,000 teachers trained in Project WET pedagogy have reached millions of students with interactive lessons in science and sustainable water resource management.