Promoting eco-consciousness: UNICEF and SEF Initiative in Kazakhstani schools
In Kazakhstan, a collaboration between the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Social-Ecological Fund (SEF) has equipped 22 schools with air quality sensors as part of a youth engagement project on climate change and environmental issues, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports, citing UNICEF.
"Youth participation in such initiatives is an important step in shaping an eco-conscious lifestyle and should result in a cleaner and healthier environment for all children in our country," said Anna Stativkina, Climate Change Officer at UNICEF Kazakhstan.
The city education departments in Almaty, Karaganda and Temirtau identified the schools that received the air quality sensors. Students and volunteers utilized these sensors in educational activities to cultivate practical environmental protection skills. This hands-on approach empowers children to engage in environmental monitoring and assume responsibility for protecting the environment.
“Providing these 22 sensors to measure PM2.5, PM10, and indoor CO2 ranges to schools and allowing students to take their own air quality measurements teaches them practice skills and about the threat air pollution poses to their health,” notes Vadim Ni, a United Nations environmental law expert and head of the Socio-Ecological Fund.
