World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, 17 June
Learn Together
Sing along with the UNCCD Land Anthem “Born from the Land” with Ricky Kej and Baaba Maal, released in 2019.
Ricky Kej is known internationally as a music composer, a No.1 artist on the United States Billboard chart and a Grammy Award winner for his album titled Winds of Samsara.
Baaba Maal is a world-renowned musician from Africa. He lent his unique voice to the soundtrack of the international blockbuster Black Panther, which won an Oscar and a Grammy Award for its music score.
Explore and Discover
Droughtland
Thirsty for adventure? Dare to explore the one-of-a-kind experiences of Droughtland,
the country with dryness of land, but not of spirit.
Plant The Seed - Unpack Your Thinking
Rising Up From Drought Together
Forecasts estimate that by 2050 droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world’s population.
The number and duration of droughts has increased by 29 percent since 2000, as compared to the two previous decades (WMO 2021). When more than 2.3 billion people already face water stress, this is a huge problem. More and more of us will be living in areas with extreme water shortages, including an estimated one in four children by 2040 (UNICEF). No country is immune to drought (UN-Water 2021).
This year, the theme of the International Day Against Desertification, and Drought “Rising up from drought together”, emphasises the need of an early action to avoid disastrous consequences for humanity and the planetary ecosystems.
Harvard Project Zero Thinking Routine
Same Different Connect Engage
This week’s thinking routine from the Project Zero Thinking Routine Toolbox is Same Different Connect Engage. A routine to nurture empathetic perspective taking and bridge building.
Look at the picture below and answer the questions.
Same In what ways might this person and you be similar?
Different In what ways might the person and you be different?
Connect In what ways might the person and you be connected as human beings?
Engage What would you like to ask, say, or do with the person if you had the chance?
Download the template below to record your thinking or unpack your thinking in your writers notebook.
Modelled Thinking
Here is my thinking – Bronwyn Joyce ‘The Global Write’ Creator
Let's Write
Prompt 1
Draw a cartoon to show what it’s like to live in Droughtland Explore the droughtland website to inspire your ideas https://droughtland.com/
Use these examples from the website to inspire your writing.
Prompt 2
Some actions that could help to reduce desertification are:
- Reforestation and tree regeneration.
- Water management — saving, reuse of treated water, rainwater harvesting, desalination, or direct use of seawater for salt-loving plants.
- Buttressing the soil through the use of sand fences, shelter belts, woodlots and windbreaks.
- Enrichment and hyper-fertilizing of soil through planting.
- Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), enabling native sprouting tree growth through selective pruning of shrub shoots. The residue from pruned tress can be used to provide mulching for fields thus increasing soil water retention and reducing evaporation.
Choose one action, research and write an information report explaining what the action is and how it could reduce desertifcation.
Prompt 3
Desertification
Watch – When A Town Run Dry a video by Global Oneness Project
Think about your own home, neighborhood, or town. What changes have you noticed locally? Have you noticed less rain and drought conditions, or more rain and increased storms? In what ways have these environmental changes impacted you, your families, and your community?
Make a brief video here https://flipgrid.com/54476c97 to tell us about your community and the environmental impacts you have faced.
Share Your Thinking & Creativity With The World
Place your thinking or writing work on a Buncee and post to ‘The Global Write’ Buncee Board. Take a photo of your work and share it on our Wakelet or tell us all about your writing or creations on Flipgrid.
All you need to do is click on your button of choice and share your great work with a global audience.