A few years back, a researcher from a prominent philanthropic foundation asked, “What can a water education program like Project WET do to reduce the number of deaths caused by water-borne diseases?” This was a watershed moment for Project WET, an inquiry that stimulated considerable discussion and reflection, and served to help Project WET better define its vision and role for worldwide water education.

Eventually, this discussion led to a decision to add ActionEducation™ to the Project WET Foundation’s core work. Through ActionEducation, Project WET’s mission worldwide has evolved from awareness, to empowering learners to take action, leading to sustainable solutions for community water resource issues.

An early pilot of ActionEducation was a scholarship program called Every Drop Counts, sponsored by Nestlé Waters North America.

Classrooms that attended a Make a Splash with Project WET water festival to learn about water resources were invited to submit proposals. Winning proposals received $1,000 to conduct ActionEducation projects—projects that would either educate community members or help solve local water resource issues. Student projects included:

• a public service announcement providing water conservation tips.
• a school recycling project.
• installation of drip irrigation in the school garden to educate community gardeners.
• restoration of a severely eroded bank of a local creek.
• a stream-monitoring project to determine the best location for a path at a local park.

Beginning with the 2008 publication of Healthy Water, Healthy Habits, Healthy People, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), new Project WET activities, if appropriate, will incorporate ActionEducation.

In simple terms, education that empowers students to take solution-based action and appropriately effect positive change in their communities is ActionEducation. In each activity, projects are recommended for individuals, classrooms, schools and businesses.

These projects offer suggestions for participants to apply the knowledge learned in Project WET activities to effect positive change in their communities by educating members or helping solve a local water resource issue.

ActionEducation is applicable to most topics covered by Project WET. For example, a Project WET activity on storm water will include an ActionEducation project, stenciling storm water drains in a local community. After participating in an activity on water conservation, students may decide to conduct a school or home water audit and suggest ways to reduce water use.

In Healthy Water, Healthy Habits, Healthy People, teachers work with students to help them understand the relationship between effective hand washing and disease prevention. Students learn how illness-causing germs can spread through contact and how healthy habits can stop them.

The ActionEducation component? Students are encouraged to make a Tippy Tap to provide a hand-washing station for their school or home.

In addition to upgrading activities by providing ActionEducation components, partnerships are critical to their distribution and facilitation.

Providing Project WET sanitation and hygiene education materials to schools in western Kenya, through the Montana State University Chapter of Engineers Without Borders, is an example of an excellent partnership linking school and community education with action (i.e., providing water by drilling new wells and installing pumps).

In addition, Project WET is distributing Healthy Water, Healthy Habits, Healthy People to 1,000 African schools to encourage healthy habits, such as hand-washing, one of the simplest and most effective methods to help prevent the spread of disease.

So, what can a water education program like Project WET do to reduce the number of deaths caused by water-borne diseases?

Project WET has found an answer through ActionEducation—educating students about water resources and empowering them to take responsibility and appropriate action, not only for their personal health and well-being, but also for their families and communities.

To learn more about ActionEducation or to become an ActionEducation sponsor, contact Dennis Nelson, President and CEO Project WET Foundation