TAP 2016: Tapping into Sustainability

TAP 2016: Tapping into Sustainability

Presentation at the Global Childhood Summit, Costa Rica, 2016

Childhood and Sustainability: The Tunza Afrika Program (TAP) Approach

Tunza Afrika Program (TAP) engages, encourages, promotes and supports the interest of young people in water, environment, energy, food, science and technology issues within the formal and non-formal educational sectors across Africa.

One of the most effective ways of spreading sustainability strategies while building network of support and collaboration is through educational programs. The Tunza Afrika Program (TAP) is a Pan African interdisciplinary educational program that aims to assist African Schools and Communities in achieving the Post 2015 Sustainable Development Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Africa Agenda 2063.

It combines the past initiatives of the Rights of the Child, Agenda 21 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The goal of TAP is to facilitate, engage, encourage and
support young people though out Africa in water, environment, food, energy, science and technology issues through the four dimensions of Ecology, Economy, Social and Cultural Concerns. The next generation has a daunting task to learn from the mistakes of the previous
generations and safeguard Africa’s natural resources while helping to ensure that the continent’s citizens have access to clean/safe water, efficient energy and adequate food for the functioning of ecosystems, the well- being of humans and the socio-economic development of communities. All these necessitates clever leadership, hence TAP seeks to produce future leaders within the environmental and climate action sector across Africa. Life in the future belongs to the coming generation.

This presentation relates to the Sustainability theme of the conference. Though sustainability is often associated with environmental concerns, the Tunza Afrika Program (TAP) considers
sustainability through the four dimensions of Ecology, Economy, Social and Cultural Concerns through a holistic approach. TAP seeks to develop and disseminate classroom teaching aids and resource materials across African Schools and Communities that would address the major concerns of Water-Food-Energy Security Nexus. Sustainable living therefore promotes resilience, equity, peace, security and stability and supports life- long learning, participation and livelihoods that would create a positive future for Africans especially children and youths. In essence this is what TAP seeks to achieve in African Continent, working with children and youths as positive agents of change to take home the sustainability lessons, skills, knowledge and information.