Maasai Warriors in Kent?!

These six Maasai warriors from a remote village in Tanzania are currently staying in a B&B in Kent...


To find out why they've left their village for the first time, have a look at the video clip below and click on the picture above for more information...

International Year of Sanitation

8PBr spent some time looking at water and sanitation last week, and were shocked to discover that 1.1 billion people - about a sixth of the world's population - do not have access to clean, safe water... And that 2.6 billion people - about 40% of the world's population - do not have access to adequate sanitation.

The picture below (from Ecumenical Water Network) was taken in Kibera - a slum in Nairobi, Kenya. For those people who cannot afford to pay to use a filthy latrine, the alternative is a plastic bag, which ends up in the street. These so-called "flying toilets" contribute to the horrifying statistic that 1.8 million children die before the age of 5 - from diarrhoea.

BBC correspondent, Fergal Keane, visited Kibera yesterday, to coincide with the launch of the United Nations International Year of Sanitation. You can watch his report here.

Water in the Middle East

There is an interesting article (especially for the historians amongst you!) on the BBC website today - Obstacles to Peace: Water - looking at the Arab-Israeli conflict as a conflict over water.

The picture shows the Sea of Galilee, which is the main source of fresh water in Israel.

Would you drink this?

This is what the nearest water supply for many people in developing countries looks like...

Yr8 had some interesting discussions this afternoon about some of the problems that a lack of clean water and sanitation can cause, and some of the conflicts that arise as a result.

The videos that I was trying to show Yr8 but that wouldn't work at school are here on the WaterAid website... Worth a look around the rest of the site as well, with various games to play...