( February 19, 2021 )

One Earth One Home’, a pan-India digital movement for government and government-aided schools to develop knowledge and skills among the primary and middle school students enabling them to steer a change in their household practices and create sustainable homes. Aligned to the SDGs, the OEOH curriculum is available in 10 languages to all teachers and students on DIKSHA, One Earth One Home website and State education portals.

WWF India launched the One Earth One Home movement on 10 September 2020 to inspire children to adopt pro-conservation attitudes and sustainable household practices towards a greener living. Students from Class I-VIII from government or government-aided schools across the country took a well-guided digital journey ensuring that learning, wellness and actions go hand-in-hand.

The WWF India ‘One Earth One Home’ movement had school children building sustainable homes in 16 States and Union Territories of India. It was implemented in partnership with State Departments of Education (J&K, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bihar), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Smile Foundation and Million Sparks Foundation. Chief Education Officers, District Education and Block education officers were engaged at all levels to disseminate the information and resource material to the teachers and students. The PAN India programme concluded with organizing State Level One Earth One Home Closing Ceremonies.

OEOH programme in Assam has been adopted by schools impacting students across the state. Assam OEOH Closing Ceremony was successfully organized virtually on 29thJan.2021 conducted and announced the awards by Archita Baruah Bhattacharya, Coordinator WWF India Assam State Office. The ceremony was graced and addressed by the Dr. Sumona Roy, Joint Director, SCERT and Smti. Suranjana Senapati, Secretary of SEBA. Smti. Krishna Baruah, OSD, SSA & ED RMSA was available through a video message which was screened at the occasion. The closing ceremony also recognized and saluted the efforts of the schools. The Best School & Best Success Story of Change award was given to Lakhiminagar M.E School (Sivasagar District), Best District to Sivasagar District and Best teacher to Faizul Karim of Buraburi Secondary School (Morigaon District). A Special OEOH Award for Teacher announced to Partha Pratim Borkotoky (Majuli District) and special mention Sonitpur District for their exemplary work in implementing the programme in their respective school and district.

Talking about the program, Ms. Anuja Bhuyan, Deputy Secretary to Department of Elementary Education Govt.of Assam said “The recent disruption caused by the COVID pandemic has really made it imperative to bring about a close contact between life and nature. The One Earth One Home programme which is a very short and flexible program designed by WWF really deserves appreciation in a sense that it is trying to make an effort to steer into the minds of the children the urge to adapt to pro- environmental practices”

The programme has been designed especially for government schools across the country and has been aligned with multiple Sustainable Development Goals primarily SDG 3: Good health & well-being, SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 6: Clean water & Sanitation, SDG 11: Sustainable cities & communities, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption & production and SDG 13: Climate Action. The resources are available in 10 languages– English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam, for teachers and students on the National DIKSHA portal and the State Government websites – Government of Assam, Elementary Education Axom Sarba Siksha Abhiyan Mission SSA Website.

Brojen Borah Headmaster of Lakhiminagar M.E. School said “The activity books along with the videos of OEOH were enjoyed by learners, teachers, parents and guardians. One Earth One Home programme has helped the students to exhibit good habits like separation of different waste products, conservation of water and learn interesting things about nature. I would like to pay my humble respect to all the WWF Assam members and wish them luck for their future endeavors”

Talking about the program, Ms. Radhika Suri, Director Environment Education, WWF India said “It is the need of the hour to educate the present generation toward greener habits and sustainable consumption practices in a playful, creative and engaging manner. With the nationwide closure of the schools, the perfect solution to build a positive environment for children at home is by connecting them to nature. ‘One Earth One Home’ movement did not just inspire children but their families and immediate communities towards environment and enlighten them to contribute towards a greener, cleaner and healthier India. The support we have received from so many State Departments of Education is a testimony of the importance to impart environment education and take action during this pandemic.”

Source : https://assamtimes.org/content/wwf-indias-%E2%80%9Cone-earth-one-home%E2%80%9D-programme-concludes