Rwandan Eco Project

Year 8 pupils have embarked on a sustainability project, collaborating with students in Kigali to innovate from waste and effect change.

They recently completed stage one of their Think Global, Act Local partnership project in which they learnt about the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the issues surrounding the consumption and production of everyday products. So far this year, they have met virtually with students from Umubano Academy in Rwanda’s capital to learn about product lifecycles and to share ideas on how to solve local and global environmental issues.

This term’s collaborative Design & Innovation Challenge motivated them to put this learning into action as they worked in teams to design a product of value from waste materials such as crisp packets, plastic bottles and tetra packs. Teams were scored on their creative thinking and how their concept raised awareness of a social issue, as well as their ability to communicate the idea to the judges. In the run up to the challenge day, teams were able to meet with DT teachers to discuss and refine their ideas. The next stage of the project will challenge them to think bigger as they delve into systems thinking.