Existing Solutions

Capacity building, water quality monitoring

educational

Policy

The ways to operate the Project “Water Schedule in Schools” are based in participation, decentralization and transdiciplinarity principles, as well as the recognition of social, cultural and environmental diversity inside the watersheds regions in the Rio de Janeiro State. His legal base are the Federal and State water resources policies ( 9.433/97 and 3.239/98 Laws)

The Project is structured in five actions line, necessarily articulated and integrated :

Step I –  Prefecture mobilization and schools selection

Step II –  Formation courses in Integrated management of water on forests, directed to Local leaders, Prefecture employees , school teachers and students. These courses include photography, oral communication, theater and radio speech workshops.

Step III – Environmental expeditions an community mobilization ( territory acknowledgment, elaboration of projects and campaign  to achieve local solutions)

Step IV –  Making the “Water Schedule” network

Step V – Results evaluation

Informative pedagogic material:  handouts, campaign pamphlets and informative panels.

The project has been implemented in 46 cities of Rio De Janeiro State – Brazil ( between 2008 and 2013)

Associarte – Craft association of educative work (NGO)

General Coordinator:  Fatima de Lourdes Casarin;

Local partners: The watersheds committees of Dois Rios, Lagos São João, Baixo Paraíba, Macaé, Piabanha, Baía de Guanabara, Médio Paraíba, NGOs and local companies. We delegate execution on different regions by NGOs, articulating with the mayor office, water committees and corporations.

The main strategic actors in local levels are:  environmental leaders who participates in the watersheds committees and, Primary and High School teachers and students

Government partnership: SEA –  Secretary of the State for the Environment (Secretaria de Estado do Ambiente do Rio de Janeiro),  SEEDUC – Secretary of the State for the Education (Secretaria Estadual de Educação) and prefectures.  

Partnership with water consumers: local companies

The “Water Schedule Project” was executed in its 1st Phase  since 2008 with FECAM ( Environmental Conservation Fund) in 15 cities, 43 schools e about 400 teachers and 800 students directly involved.

On the 2nd Phase, starting in 2012, the project will be executed in more 31 cities and 62 schools, expanding its action in the State, supported by FECAM’s resources and the water committees through FUNDRHI’s ( Water Resources State Fund) resources.

Since the water law creation, we felt the need to enhance the civil society participation in this kind of decisions, as much as the capacitation of young citizens. Therefore, the courses and actions promoted by the Program pretend to contribute in the different socials segments active participation in the integrated management of the watersheds. So they can positively intermediate the implementation of the governmental tools for the waters management beyond the watershed committees. The Project execution by local NGOs there are part of the comittees is strategic in the reinforce this segment, providing works opportunities and effective social participation in the decisions. This decisions looks for enable the construction of environmental recuperation projects, as riparian reforestation in rivers and lagoons. The watersheds committees are composed by three society segments: Government, water users (companies), and the organized civil society ( NGOs and schools). The know about teh region problems what needs good governance solutions. The NGOs has the experience and capillarity with the basal communities.

The “Water Schedule Project” was executed in its 1st Phase  since 2008 with FECAM ( Environmental Conservation Fund) in 15 cities, 43 schools e about 400 teachers and 800 students directly involved.

On the 2nd Phase, starting in 2012, the project will be executed in more 31 cities and 62 schools, expanding its action in the State, supported by FECAM’s resources and the water committees through FUNDRHI’s ( Water Resources State Fund) resources.

Total  (1st and 2nd  Phase)  46 cities , 105 schools, covering 600 teachers and 2000 students

Funds: (FECAM) Between 2008 and 2012 = R$ 1,7 millions

(FUNDRHI) 2012/2013 = R$ 1 milliion (Guandu + Dois Rios + Lagos São João watersheds)

Cost benefit/people directly involved:  R$ 0,91/person.

Observation: The “Water Schedule Project was inspired in the “ Water course Program”, realized in Paraíba do Sul watershed between 1997 and 2000, in the Stated of São Paulo, Minas Gerais e Rio de Janeiro and recently R$350 thousands was approved by  CEIVAP – Rio Paraíba do Sul watershed integration committee ( cities not definite) to execute the CEIVAP Water Schedule.

Observation: We are working alongside other entities from civil society, there are acting in watershed committees as a strategy to approve resources from FUNDRHI and expand the Project continuity.

The project key performance indicators are:

-          Number of teachers and students who get in the Project during its execution;

-          Number of partnerships between NGOs and government or corporations;

-          Number of local projects elaborated;

-          Number of events and campaign realized;

-          Number of actions proposed as consequence of the local project to the nearest river of the school

-          Informative pedagogic material : handouts, panflects and 20 sets of information panels

The Project can be replied in any one of the municipies os the State, in partnership with each watershed committee, enhancing the water good governance. The project Water Schedule should interest international organizations who have as objectives the communities strengthening in the application of governmental tools in the water management, as part of their citizenship. Allied with that, we have the environmental improvement of the rivers and lagoons through projects of environmental recuperation and riparian reforestation, as there of green economy, making the schools as reference centers of water reuse and solar energy utilization.

The support can be done directly to the NGOs to multiply the informative material and create, in a participative form, an operational manual of “Water Schedule in School”. Can finance too, small projects of environmental enhance in schools, as plumbing adequate to water reuse, water rain collect and basic sanitation.  The project consolidation can involve Federal Government and others local partners.

Observation: The operational manual should be make in 2012, considering the structural activities as immutable base. This basic products can be complemented according to the need and the place environmental diagnostic.

- the relevance of the partnership job with local NGOs and the participative elaboration of projects, executed with local companies

- Participation of young representants in the general evaluation

- Participation in other like events : Agenda 21; Forum da Juventude ( Youth Forum) and others

Execute the Project in at least 46 cities , 105 schools, covering 600 teachers and 2000 students until 2013 .

Funds: (FECAM) Between 2008 and 2012 = R$ 1,7 millions

(FUNDRHI) 2012/2013 = R$ 1 milliion (Guandu + Dois Rios + Lagos São João watersheds)

Effective partnership with watersheds committees :Rio Guandu,  Rio Dois Rios,  Lagos São João, Piabanha, Médio Paraíba , Baía de Guanabara and Paraíba do sul in his fluminense part.

Associarte – Association of Educative Work : Entity responsible for technical support an general management.

Fatima Casarin

Address: Rua Sao Salvador 99 apt 802 Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, 22231-130

Phone number: +55(21)8596-5789 / 3826-7308

Email: fatimacasarin@terra.com.br  and agenda.agua@gmail.com

Attached slide presentation; handouts 1 and 2 ; photos and illustrated educational material