Last September, UNESCO New Delhi launched an initiative, H2Ooooh! – Waterwise program for school children of India, in partnership with United Schools Organization (USO) and Toonz Media Group to encourage school children, between the age group of 6-14 yrs., to submit story ideas and cartoons on the rising water crisis in India.
Divided in three phases, the initiative aims to spur their creativity as well as raise awareness on water conservation and its sustainable use.
Since its launch, more than 17,000 students from 43 schools across India have been engaged in this initiative. As part of first phase, the schools held screenings of 24 animation videos, both in English and Hindi, on different water issues for students of Class I to VIII. The videos were originally developed by UNESCO Venice and further translated into Hindi, by the UNESCO New Delhi Office. Other resource tools included discussions and quizzes based on educational material specially developed by UNESCO to help students develop a deeper understanding of issues on water resources.
During the second phase implemented in December 2020, a competition was initiated in the schools to pick top ideas and cartoon submissions. Out of the 2000 students who participated in the qualifier round, a total of 93 students, including eight children with disabilities, were selected to undergo special training by Toonz Media. The one-week training introduced the students to the basics of cartoon animation including script writing, character sketching and storyboarding.
As part of this ongoing programme, out of the 80 storyboards submitted by the trained students, one storyboard will be selected to create an animation video focusing on water protection and its sustainable use in India. The initiative will also bestow other students with special awards and the selected student will also participate in the “behind the scenes” transformation of the storyboard into an animated cartoon with Toonz Media team.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reiterated the critical importance of water for social well-being. H2Ooooh! Initiative is thus an artistic platform where children have shared their ideas and aspirations towards the water conservation
The animation video will be released on the occasion of World Water Day on 22 March 2021.
The original H2Ooooh! initiative was elaborated in Italy by Gruppo Alcuni, UNESCO Venice Office and RAI Fiction (TV).