Past Projects

2024-2021

Voices of the Aral Sea 2024

Targets

Install a greenhouse equipped with drip irrigation
Monitor reverse osmosis filter
Lead 4 education programs, to inspire innovative collaboration amongst youth to solve ecological challenges

In 2024, WARC's annual ecological education project returned to Janabazar village in Kegeyli, in the Karakalpakstan. The two-week project in May 2024 expanded on our previous initiatives throughout Karakalpakstan and in this community. On the technical side, our project furthered our goal of promoting sustainable ecological and agricultural practices within rural schools, focusing on efficient water use and field irrigation methods in particular. The WARC team checked on our previously installed reverse-osmosis filter and worked with local providers to install a drip-irrigation-powered greenhouse on school grounds.

Central to WARC’s mission is combining service with education and fostering genuine connections with the communities we serve. In our third visit to the Janabazar community, we presented the current edition of our annual educational program, “Voices of the Aral Region.” Our curriculum, built around interactive workshops and student-created and student-focused content, was crafted to help students find and use their voice for environmental advocacy and designed to support our engineering projects.

Community Partners: The Council of Farmers, Dehkan Farms and Owners of Household Plots of Uzbekistan, Karakalpakstan branch; UNICEF Uzbekistan, Karakalpakstan project; The Presidential School in Nukus; The Youth Affairs Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan; The Ecological Party of Uzbekistan

Update: WARC Project Report 2024 is out! ↓

Eco-Service Schools 2023

Targets

Install RO filters at 4 schools to reduce the incidence of anemia
Lead 4 education programs, to inspire innovative collaboration amongst youth to solve ecological problems via an engineering methodology

In May 2023, WARC's annual ecological education project, "Eco-Service Schools," took place in Turtkul, Karakalpakstan. The project, which ran from May 16th to 30th, promoted sustainable ecological practices within schools, focusing on efficient water use and field irrigation methods. Our project combined both service and education: the WARC team installed two reverse-osmosis water filters at Schools 39 and 47 in the village of Janbaskala. Then it engaged students in a dynamic educational program that covered a wide range of environmental topics.

Our core curriculum consisted of four components: engineering, group model building, environmental advocacy, and theater. Building on the knowledge they gained during our seminars, students engaged in real-world exercises: they built drip irrigation systems on the school grounds, performed a play inspired by local oral histories, and conducted a mock trial to resolve ecological issues such as those faced by their community, among other activities

Community Partners: the Uzbekistan Ecological Party, The Youth Affairs Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers, The Bek School, Leader School, Smart School, and New Tone School, UN Joint Programme for the Aral Sea

Update: WARC Project Report 2023 is out! ↓

Engineering through Education

2022

Targets

Install RO filters at 2 schools to reduce the incidence of anemia
Implement 6 small-scale engineering projects for climate change in Qaraqalpaqstan
Create 2 test drip-irrigation plots
Lead 3 educational seminars

In March and April, we led a regional engineering camp in Kegeyli, Karakalpakstan. The program worked primarily with students from Schools 12 and 41 and addressed the environmental challenges facing the region, including saline drinking water, desertification, and difficult farming conditions. Our program centered on a hands-on environmental engineering curriculum in which students learned about water properties, environmental monitoring, and design thinking. Applying these skills in practice, students created small-scale engineering solutions for their community. They built drip irrigation systems, constructed compost stations, developed evaporative cooling systems, and assembled experimental water filters.

The project combined practical service with education: WARC volunteers installed reverse-osmosis water filters and planted native fruit trees while teaching students the fundamentals of environmental engineering. The project concluded with a community Science Fair where students presented their prototypes and demonstrated their solutions to teachers, families, and local officials.

Community Partners: Uzbekistan Ecological Party, local schools in Kegeyli, Muynoq, and Qonliqo’l, volunteer engineers from Uzbekistan and the United States.

Update: WARC Project Report 2022 is out! ↓

Spirit of Water

2021

Targets

Feature 5 young composers' music about local water bodies in Uzbekistan, Russia, Serbia and the United States

In 2021, WARC commissioned an international orchestral collaboration titled “Spirit of Water”. The piece is inspired by the indigenous traditions and ecological challenges facing five major water bodies in Eurasia and North America: the Hudson, the Drina, Lake Baikal, Lake Ruskeala, and the Aral Sea. The composers, hailing from Russia, Serbia, Uzbekistan and the United States collaborated to raise awareness about the natural and cultural heritage surrounding these sites. Each piece contributes to the global dialogue on climate change.

Community Partners: Opera NYC, Gorchakov Foundation

Meet the Composers