Global Studio Johannesburg 2009

In about 3 weeks I'm going to Africa! Last Sunday May 24th, I was accepted to participate as a Global Studio project associate, to work on a UN Millennium Development Goals program in the Diepsloot slum of Johannesburg :-))))

This video shows the project in 2007, same place where I will be collaborating beginning June 26-July 21. And this map shows the location of Diepsloot.

This is a great interdisciplinary project. I'm super excited about this opportunity and I'm thankful to the coordinators for choosing me among many qualified candidates.

World Water day March 22, 2009

The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.

In 2009, the focus of World Water Day on March 22 will be on transboundary waters, with UNECE and UNESCO as the lead agencies.

More information is available on the official UN World Water Day website: http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/

They have a very interesting display of collateral materials for promoting the event (posters, banners, web buttons, t-shirts and even mobile desktop wallpapers).

http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/campaign.html

Teaser Poster

Official Poster

Wallpaper 1 Large Display (240 x 320)

Wallpaper 2 Large Display (240 x 320)

Wallpaper 3 Large Display (240 x 320)

Screensaver 1 All Displays

Design #1 Download Template (PDF)

Design #2 Download Template (PDF)

300 x 76


274 x 113


215 x 124

Within Water for Life IRC will focus on water, gender and poverty alleviation. Water and sanitation are critical factors to alleviate poverty and hunger, for sustainable development, for environmental integrity, and for human health.

Communities have complex priorities for the use of water for economic activity and for household use. Men and women often have different priorities and responsibilities. A gender focus is not simply about ‘involving women’. It is about recognising the roles of men and women, and ensuring that the voices of women, who are mainly responsible for household water but who also want economic activity, are acted on.

This woman from the Sironko District of Uganda is a true citizen of the 21st century – a multi-tasking manager with daily performance targets. She wakes early to fetch water, store it, distribute it and manage sanitation facilities in the home. She goes to bed long after dark, when the cooking, cleaning, laundering and other chores are done. She probably has more work than her mother, being also responsible today for domestic animals. The 21st century woman participates in community development work, and uses her ‘spare’ time for income generating activities. She lives a high-pressure executive lifestyle, lacking only the income, the status, the holidays, the help in the home, a lifestyle consultant, a retirement date and a pension. Will the action decade - Water for Life - make a real difference to her life?

Picture from Allen Wekoye, Uganda.