One of the country’s most polluted cities, Tripoli faces severe bacterial contamination hazards and foul odors, due to solid waste mismanagement along with air and water pollution. Schools are a powerful platform to shift towards cultures of sustainability and create the next generation of environmental problem-solvers. But Rawdat El Fayhaa School, with its 3000 enrolled students, doesn’t currently have the resources to revamp its solid waste and potable water infrastructure, nor the capacity to involve students in the process of doing so.
Laying the groundwork to deploy the Solid-Waste and Water-Quality Action Program (SAWA) developed by AUB-NCC and the WHO, an experimental environmental education and action program that teaches students about waste management and potable water in an accessible and fun manner, selecting classes, cycles and age groups that will participate in the SAWA Program, developing an introduction to launch the program, delineating school-specific goals for the SAWA Program, and preparing to test water quality in the school’s Mten building to ensure safe drinking water for students.