The Alforja Educativa (“Educational Knapsack”) is a set of play-based, practical activities focussing on harmony among all living things both visible and invisible. Developed by Ecuador-based Centro Niño a Niño (Child to Child Center – a partner of Child to Child) in conjunction with ReAct LatinAmerica, the Knapsack is grounded in the indigenous cosmovision of “Sumak Kawsay” (“Good Living”) and uses Child to Child methodology to allow children to investigate, study, act, and communicate about the microbial world and its role in the web of life.
Within the framework of integral health, the children also study the effect of antibiotic abuse on helpful microbes, resulting in disharmony and the serious problem of antibiotic resistance. Another prominent theme is that of “Alegremia” (literally, “happiness in the blood”) and what is needed to assure health and happiness in this world. The knapsack includes activity guides, stories, videos and songs and is available on-line in Spanish. Translation into English is underway.
Books:
Alforja Educativa: Salud Escolar y el Mundo Microbiano (Educational Knapsack: School Health and the Microbial World)
- Parte 1: Alimento para la vida, Aire, Agua (Part 1: Food for Life, Air, Water)
- Parte 2: Sumak Kawsay Entro Los Más Pequeños, Bacterias y Resistencia a los Antibióticos (Part 2: Good Living Among the Smallest Beings, Bacteria, and Antibiotic Resistance)
Paso a Paso: Promoviendo Salud en las Escuelas, el Hogar y la Comunidad (Step by Step: Promoting Health in Schools, the Home, and the Community)
Designed as a simple reader through which the story is told of the “School Health and Microbial World” project.
Paso a Paso: Promoviendo Salud en las Escuelas, el Hogar y la Comunidad (Step by Step: Promoting Health in Schools, the Home and the Community)
De los Más Pequeños a los Diminutos del Planeta (From the Smallest to the Tiniest on the Planet)
A book of stories about the magical world of bacteria, created by a group of 60 boys and girls from five schools in Cuenca, Ecuador.
De los Más Pequeños a los Diminutos del Planeta: Cuentos Bacterianos Escritos por Niños y Niñas (From the Smallest to the Tiniest on the Planet: Bacteria Stories written by Boys and Girls)
Songs:
Themes written and composed by the Cuban Ecologist Group in the Network, with upbeat rhythms and simple text, but with very clear and convincing messages about Sumak Kawsay, the world of bacteria, bacterial resistance, Alegremia and Child to Child.
Alforja Educativa – Educational Knapsack songs (folder 1 of 2)
Alforja Educativa – Educational Knapsack songs (folder 2 of 2)
Videos:
Stories constructed and told by boys and girls themselves that allow us to discover and develop the affection and empathy for all forms of life. The audiovisuals are in the same thematic areas as the songs.
All of the videos are available to download directly from the ReAct website.
For more information about the Knapsack project please email nanamericas@gmail.com or visit our project page.