For orphans, a gift of life
Clean water for orphanages as Singapore students head for Vietnam
Tan Hui Leng, Today Online 21 Apr 08;
With environmental awareness being the buzzword today, student-led expeditions are taking on a more focused approach to improving living conditions for people.
One of the early adopters of the cause is Yio Chu Kang Primary School, with 28 students making their foray into Vietnam next month.
Not just concerned with visiting the usual eco-tourist attractions like Halong Bay and Cuc Phong National Park, the students will also set up a clean water filter system for two orphanages in the capital Hanoi and in Thai Binh province.
"The water there is fairly polluted and there have been problems of dysentery and diarrhoea," said programme director of environmental group Hemispheres Foundation, Mr Adrian Phua. "The filter system would improve this."
The group is organising the trip for Yio Chu Kang Primary School. It is also in talks with a few other schools to bring similar programmes to Vietnam and Cambodia.
Yesterday, Yio Chu Kang Primary School also won the third prize in a website creation competition organised by Hemispheres Foundation.
Coming in first was Tao Nan School, which was represented by one of the youngest teams in the competition for primary, secondary and junior college students.
On Tao Nan School's website (picture, http://freewebs.com/save-our-globe/index.htm), the group of four Primary 6 students showed how one can save the earth in little ways every day — from taking public transport, using refillable pens to switching off the lights when not required.
With Earth Day coming up tomorrow, schools are up and about spreading the word.
Commonwealth Secondary School, together with National Parks Board, is also doing their bit for the environment as they have been planting trees at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
