As part of the “Improving the Waste Water Infrastructure in Zgharta and Mejdlaya” project, which is funded by the UN’s OCHA Lebanon Humanitarian Fund and implemented by RMF, representatives from RMF visited the Antonin Sisters School in Zgharta to test an educational game named ‘My Environment, My Friend’.

The project’s overall objectives are to reduce the burdens that the Syrian refugees and the hosting communities are enduring due to waste water and infrastructure issues, and to enhance the capacities of the municipalities by funding development projects addressing infrastructure, waste water, rain water and waste problems.

The educational game ‘My Environment, My Friend’ was conceived to teach students and children on the importance of the environment, of public health and of cleanliness. It also sheds light on citizenship and on conflict management.

Dr Hasna Moawad, head of RMF’s education sector, while testing the game with a group of students from the Antonin Sisters School, explained: “This game is a friendly educational tool aiming to bring awareness on essential subjects, part of the civil education and national education curriculums. We wanted to show that there are educational tools that take in consideration the particularities of the students and thus insure the best quality of teaching.”

The main activities of the “Improving the Waste Water Infrastructure in Zgharta and Mejdlaya” project are: Building a waste water line in Mejdlaya; offering two waste collection trucks to the Zgharta Municipality; holding awareness sessions; distributing booklets with guidelines on water, waste water, cleanliness and conflict resolution in selected schools in Zgharta and Mejdlaya; distributing 1000 cleaning kits to students in 9 schools; in addition to the creation of the ‘My Environment, My Friend’ game.

The schools selected by the project are:

Mrs. Badra Public School for girls, Georgette Al Kareh Public school for girls, Verra Frangieh Mixed public school, Tony Frangieh public school for boys, Mejdlaya mixed public school, Sainte Famille School – Zgharta, Antonine Semi private school, Tawjih Educational school, Rene Moawad Technical Institute