Do young people care about climate change or even know what it is?
Some people are concerned that they don’t but that wasn’t what I experienced at the Big Bang Fair in Manchester today. 

Thousands of school children from all over the country attended the first day of the event and many took part in the Science Council’s activity where they were asked to write a postcard to the Prime Minister describing what they think about climate change.  The responses will be collated, drafted into a report on Young Peoples Attitudes to Climate Change and sent to No.10 Downing Street.

 Responses included:

Dear Prime Minister
I think climate change

….………….is affecting each and every one of us.  From all the statistics the situation is getting worse.  I hope it won’t be as bad as they say it’s going to be.
Elaine, age 14, Cheltenham Ladies College

…………..is getting out of hand and you should do something about it!
Rabiaca, age 13,   Ali-Islah

………….is something we all need to focus on and do something about.  Instead of just complaining about it let’s make a difference!
Hattie Codfrey, age 14, C & C

………….is destroying our world.  It may cause an ice age. If we don’t act fast our world will be no more.
Sultan Munshi, age 12, Pleckgate

What surprised me was not how important they thought climate change was, but how excited they were that the Prime Minister would care what they thought!

To find out what Practical Action are doing to help communities in developing countries adapt to climate change go to
http://www.practicalaction.org.uk/our-work/ourwork_climatechange

To look at our educational resources on climate change go to http://www.practicalaction.org.uk/education/climate_change

10th March, 2010, WEDC, Loughborough University

They are all dressed-up. Some will be acting as the city mayor, some as slum dwellers and some as international investors. We are facilitating a role-play, based on some realities in the context of services and infrastructure for low income countries. This is a three-act play, arranged as three meetings between different actors in development. Slum dwellers are concerned about the poor environmental situation in their areas, municipal officers will be listening to the problems, the mayor is listening to all the parties, consultants and investors are bringing out options. All the young professionals have been preparing their dialogues, which needs to be in-depth, but also funny and lively. Role-playing is great fun but also a very effective way of learning. They did it very well and I remember a lot of sentences from the role-play. But my favourite one was “… could I see you after the meeting…”, a government officer asked a waste collection contractor.

Practical Action support debate and discussions among young professionals and in one of our international objectives we are addressing good governance in the context of infrastructure services. Poor governance, corruption and lack of collective decision-making in the choices of technologies and systems is a major cause of poverty, and infrastructure and services financing and related contracts are one of the most common contexts in which corruption takes place. We are working with a number of other NGOs in a BOND group on Governance to advocate and influence policies and practices.

Internationally-known courses at WEDC not only educate and train young professionals but also promote good professional values, leadership and passion. Young professionals on the course picked up very well many real difficulties of development, including corruption – hence this ‘special meeting’ after the official meeting was highlighted in their role play dialogues.

For further information on our Governance objective and our work with young professional in infrastructure services, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Mansoor Ali
Practical Action, UK

5th March, Knowledge Sharing Suite, University of Bristol

It’s already 1 o’clock in the afternoon. We were supposed to finish by 12:30. No students group is ready to give-up. Questions and comments are being fired upon each other. They find the debate very interesting. The question under discussion, is ‘whether supporting small scale technologies and systems is the way forward to provide services, such as waste collection, water and sanitation or we need to start from the large scale reforms, for example working directly with governments, build large infrastructure etc’. As the facilitator, I am trying my best to conclude the discussion with few key questions. They would like to discuss more and more. Finally, some questions emerged;

Supporters of Large Scale Technologies and Systems:

1. Considering the scale and urgency of the problem, are we sure that supporting just small scale initiatives, will deliver the results?
2. Whether supporting small scale initiatives wall will take care of the needs of all diverse target groups in the most efficient way?

Supporters of Small Scale Technologies and Systems:

1. Whether large scale programmes are really targeting the real problems or just imposing the external solutions? and promoting international industries only?
2. Whether large scale programmes will ultimately reduce poverty?

I said, Ok! … this is great – you got some really good questions – thank you, as I left the class, being a more ‘mature professional’, I checked my lunch vouchers, in my front shirt pocket – it was still there. While students were still discussing and debating, perhaps not even interested in lunches or vouchers – feeling hungry for knowledge and more understanding. With such energies among young professionals, the future of pro-poor technologies is bright – no doubt.

Practical Action facilitates regular debates and discussions among young professionals on issues concerned with technologies and systems for sustainable development and poverty reduction. This blog is based on one such event in Bristol. Participants are attending a course designed for developing countries, and supported by The Chartered Institute of Environmental Management (CIWEM).

Mansoor Ali
Practical Action, UK

I’ve been rushed off my feet at the UK Education Show this week. Primary and secondary teachers have been really keen to find out more about our great education resources and Practical Action’s work.  Over 800 have joined our schools list and signed up to our e-newsletter so they can find out more about us.

“I don’t think children really understand how climate change affects  poor people in other countries and that it’s not them that’s causing it,” said one teacher to me. “I’m definitely going to have a look at your website to see what resources you’ve got that I can use with my class to help them understand climate change better.”

“Thank you so much, this is brilliant. I’m really glad I came now, I will do this with my year 4 class in science week next week,” said Victoria Meir, a Primary school teacher from Suffolk, when she saw the wind power challenge activity.

So all in all a really successful three days. Just all that follow up work to do now!!

If you would like to see what the teachers got so excited about please go to  www.practicalaction.org.uk/education

My first trip away with Practical Action, to East Africa, has been with a focus on our energy work, and it’s already been quite an eye-opener to the challenges and opportunities for our organisation in the region. 

Practical Action is aiming to develop energy sources that can meet the needs of the very poor, while being affordable and without depleting the already stretched energy resources.  Soon after I arrived at the Nairobi office, located in a building shared with the YMCA of Africa, I was involved in the development of an energy strategy to look at the projects planned for 2010. 

This includes both on the ground projects to develop ethanol from sugar cane residues, new cook stoves that are efficient and reduce the health related problems of smoke inhalation, and work on developing better policies with regional governments that can tackle poverty reduction while addressing the impacts of climate change and deforestation. 

The various meetings included energy experts from Zimbabwe, Hawaii, UK, Sri Lanka, Nepal as well as Kenya, working very closely together to try and develop a strong strategy.

Although it’s been hard work trying to gain a better understanding of the numerous challenges that need to be overcome, including corruption, nepotism, the harsh environmental conditions many of the poor people in the region live in, its also been hugely inspiring. 

Whilst at the Kenyan office I was lucky to be a part of a moving farewell for a colleague who’s just completed a project in the Kiburu slums in Nairobi.  It was moving to hear the passion of her colleagues praising her tireless commitment to Practical Action’s work and wishing her well in her future career.  At the same time interviews were taking place for a new manager for the consultancy arm of the Kenyan office, who will have the responsibility of leading the small team to take the work of Practical Action to other countries in the region including Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Today I’m travelling overland to Arusha in Tanzania with colleagues from Sri Lanka and Kenya to attend a 3-day meeting on the 5-year Pisces project to improve policy in East Africa and south Asia on sustainable biomass use.  Practical Action is working with organisations in the UK, Tanzania and India to develop vital research which can help decision makers in the two regions to make more informed decisions on using their local resources to sustainably reduce poverty, provide employment and allow people to both adapt to the challenges of climate change whilst mitigating emissions.  The trip will include an update on the work going on in the four countries as well as visits to projects currently being implemented in Tanzania, which I’m looking forward to very much. 

Ewan Bloomfield

Practical Action Consulting

Last Tuesday together with Joseph Nunns our new initiatives executive I attended the DEA launch of the Global Learning Charter at a reception in parliament.  A number of parliamentarians were there from across the political spectrum including Malcolm Bruce MP and former education secretary Charles Clarke MP.  Signatories to the charter include individuals, schools, NGOs, institutions, trade unions, local authorities and Universities, all committing to support UK citizens to learn about global issues.

I’m the one in red by the way!

If you or your organisation would like to join Practical Action and the other 200+ signatories by signing up to the charter please follow the link below:

DEA Global Learning Charter

Kibera Slum, Nairobi, 18:30 hours (approx), 28th February, 2009

There was a huge noise in this slum congested area, as Manchester United scored an equaliser. I never heard such a noise in Rugby or Leicester, UK, where I work and live. Perhaps Kibera slum has more supporters of Manchester United per unit area compared to any other place in the world.

We are sitting on the first floor of a communal toilet block and watching a television, which is running by a set of car batteries. Twenty youths are watching this match, and each paid Ksh 20 to watch this. This money will go the sanitation fund. Many other people are watching at different places in the slums. This sanitation block has six latrines, a point to sell water and a small office for the daily savings. Under the toilets, there is a bio-digester which produces gas. Each toilet user pays Ksh 2 per visit, Ksh 5 for a hot shower and Ksh 2 for a 20 litres can of water. I am visiting this project with Umande trust, a local NGO, run by one of the ex-staff of Practical Action. Is this scaling-up or may be a better quality scaling-up of what we are trying to promote.

Practical Action always promoted sanitation, not just as ‘toilets for only health benefits’. We have always seen sanitation bringing economic and social benefits – supported by technologies and innovative methods. It is really good to see that happening on the principles and values we have promoted and demonstrated.

Thanks

Mansoor Ali
Still in Nairobi

The time now is 21:00 hours, Saturday 27th of February, 2010. It has been raining for almost three hours. Rains in Nairobi are always awaited and welcomed, as it improves the water sources, wash the roads and polish the green and tall trees. A number of people, including me, are watching this beautiful rain from shades. Rain dropping on the hotel swimming pool and its lovely lights presents a lovely view.

However, for some reasons my mind is restricting me to enjoy this, it is taking me to those places where rain is an emergency and almost a mini disaster. This is almost half of the population of Nairobi, who live in slum areas. A total of 2.4 million people live in high-density slums, very close to each other, in areas where houses are made-up of temporary materials, tin roofs have holes in them, alleys are not more than 1m wide and electricity disappears after few drops of rain. A number of these areas are besides rivers and ponds, which overflow quickly, causing damage to houses and sometimes loss of lives. I am just wondering if everybody in Nairobi is enjoying the rain?

Is it good to feel this rain in different ways?

Mansoor Ali
In Nairobi

Fact: Currently more than 150 million in Africa live in slum areas in very poor conditions, without drainage, no clean water, poor sanitation, no electricity and no waste collection. Thousands of young professionals, such as architects, engineers and planners around the world are thinking, researching, writing and doing something to address this challenge. Practical Action, is always keen to listen from you what you feel and what you intend to do.

This is the fifth full day of the conference on Community Based Adaptation in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and my head is full of the experiences that people have presented, and of the plans people have developed in small groups meeting late at night or over breakfast for working together on particular topics. I have agreed to coordinate a group looking at how to ensure that right from the local level, people whose livelihoods are being affected by climate change can be involved in decision making and budget allocation on adaptation. My colleagues are also getting involved – several of them in a group on sharing knowledge about technologies that help people adapt.

All five of us from Practical Action have now given presentations to the conference. Mohamed Siddig from Sudan, the only delegate from his country, gave a really brilliant talk this morning on our work under the Greening Darfur programme, showing how even with very low rainfall, people can have successful harvests and trees can thrive.

It is not often that field-based staff get the opportunity to travel internationally to meet colleagues doing similar work, and over lunch today it was great to hear my colleagues talking about information they plan to share. Besides our work at the local level, it is clear that in several countries we are having significant influence and involvement in government planning for coping with climate change.
This is so important, because ultimately if people are to adapt successfully to living with climate change, it will have to be government policies and planning that enable this to happen.

The conference will conclude tomorrow morning with a clear plan for the next steps on community level adaptation; this plan will be developed over dinner and later tonight by a small group including myself, based on ideas which many people have put forward. After that – it is back to work, and remembering to keep up the contacts and learning!

In slum areas of Nairobi, the population density is high and most of the residents are tenants. Houses do not have a separate toilet. So, people have various coping strategies, including open defecation and flying toilets. Those who could afford go to ‘pay per use’ toilets, run by small scale (informal sector) service providers. The charge is usually Ksh 5 to 3 (US $ 0.08) per visit. These toilets are not very popular with women and children.

Today, I had an interesting debate with some of my friends here. There is a growing feeling that these small scale service providers are not worth up-grading and need to be shut down. Improved facilities must be provided, which can charge the same fees. I liked the idea, but was concerned about the negative impact of new and improved toilets on the existing informal sector providers. We could not conclude the discussion, so need your assistance.

What do you think?

• Do you have any experience of integrating small scale providers with the improved system?
• Can they be rehabilitated in improved systems?
• Can I expect some replies and engagement?

Please help with your brains!

Mansoor Ali, Nairobi, Kenya

Related pages: improved toilets | Video: Kibera toilets