Cascade primary school receives rain water harvest tanks from Airtel |17 June 2022

Mr Dina and head teacher Médor inaugurating the water harvesting facility (Photo: Thomas Meriton)

The Cascade primary school has received two 2000ml water tanks from Airtel Seychelles which it will use for rain water harvesting.

The managing director of the telecommunication company, Amadou Dina, presented the two water tanks as well as some other small watering equipment to the head teacher of the school, Barbara Medor, in a small ceremony held recently.

Cascade school is the eight to benefit with water harvest tanks sponsored by Airtel Seychelles under the climate change adaptation programme.

The rain water harvesting project in schools, through the sponsorship of Airtel, is supporting  the Eco-school programme which is coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate, Change and Environment (MACCE)  and the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) unit in the Ministry of education.

Present to witness the handover of the tanks were Minister Flavien Joubert of MACCE, Minister for Education Dr Justin Valentin, key education officials, teachers, pupils, among other guests.

Addressing everyone present Minister Valentin thanked Airtel for the generous gesture noting  that now with the water tanks, it will take the schools quite some time before they run out of water.

He also thanked everybody else who are behind the realisation of the project.

Head teacher Medor thanked Airtel for the tanks which she said will improve the quality of the school’s ground and not forgetting a reduction in the school’s water bills. 

She also thanked the MACCE and the MOE for choosing their school as the next in line to receive these tanks.

According to Jeanette Larue, director for education at MACCE, the project started in 2009 as part of a climate change adaptation programme for schools in the country.

She added that while only a few schools had managed to get at least one water harvest tank through the ministry’s budget when available, Airtel has  come forward and pledged to carry on with the project in all the remaining schools on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue. This include providing  watering equipment  and  tools to repair previous water tanks which have been damaged or have not been connected. 

She noted that the idea is to have one or two rain water harvesting  tanks in each school by February 2023. One of these tanks cost R10,000.

Lynndina Essack, senior education officer for sustainable development in the MOE, said water harvesting is part of the eco-school’s curriculum under the climate change adaptation programme where students learn how to find solutions to adapt to climate change .

Marie-Pierre Volcère, corporate social responsibility coordinator at Airtel Seychelles, remarked that the company has set aside around R200,000 for the project through which since the start at the end of April,  eight schools, including Cascade school, have been assisted with water tanks.

She added that the Grand Anse secondary school will be the next in line to receive their water harvest tanks.

She said that Airtel’s funding of the project is part of its renewed commitment and support for environmental protection.

Ten-year-old Annalisa Obrien from P6 (2) concluded the short ceremony with her poem entitled simply ‘Delo’ (Water).   

Patrick Joubert