Pupils from Hampton Community College and Teddington School help demonstrate the Global Eye News (GEN) web site on the Actis Stand at BETT 2000, Olympia.

"I have been struck in looking at the site today at the opportunity it presents. The launch has allowed students to directly access a major project in Guyana, the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development. By offering both information on the project and the prospect of asking questions of those running the project on site, it allows far deeper understanding to be acquired by the students, and in time the possibility of establishing direct links with others working in the field, or with like-minded students across the world." George Foulkes M.P. (Parliamentary Under Secretary for State, DFID) "The creation of the Iwokrama project was motivated by the recognition that the issues and problems concerning the worlds tropical rainforests were of a global dimension. The project was designed to demonstrate to Guyana and the world the way in which tropical rainforest resources and biodiversity could be sustainably managed. To this end 2% of Guyana's tropical rainforest was donated to the Commonwealth for relevant studies to be carried out." His Excellency Laleshwar Singh (Guyanan High Commissioner)

Worldaware are delighted to report on the successful launch of GEN, Global Eye News online, at the BETT 2000 Show at Olympia in January this year. We are very grateful to Actis, our web site designers; George Foulkes M.P. (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for International Development); His Excellency Laleshwar Singh (Guyanan High Commissioner) and staff and students from Hampton Community College and Teddington School for their help on the day.

Nine GCSE students from the two schools demonstrated the site in the morning. In the afternoon, George Foulkes and Laleshwar Singh officially opened the site, talking to the students and making brief speeches. The highlight was a live link up with the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development. Students exchanged questions and answers with David Cassells, the project director, via a talkboard on the GEN site, finishing with the following:

Question: "How can schools help Iwokrama ?"

Schools can help Iwokrama by staying interested in the global environment and managing their own consumption of natural resources to minimise their effect on the environment both globally and near to home. Later this year, Iwokrama hopes to have a scheme where schools and individuals can become directly involved in the Iwokrama partnership.

Students can also help Iwokrama by writing to the schools in the communities living in or near the Iwokrama Forest. Children in these schools love to learn about what is happening elsewhere in the world. They also love to share their experiences of living in or near the Iwokrama Forest. Schools interested in this should contact Ms Vanda Radzic, the Community Development Fellow at the Iwokrama International Centre."

David Cassells (Director, Iwokrama) From Guyana to Olympia via talkboard, GEN launch

(for a full list of questions and answers see the Iwokrama Talkboard section of "Eye on Guyana" in the Spring 2000 archive)

Since GEN was launched it has averaged over 10,000 'hits' per week (and was also named the Guardian's 'Education Web Site of the day' back in late February). Although we are very pleased with the response, we still want to hear from you - your opinions about the site, what you would like to see included in future, your ideas about issues on the talkboards, work you would like posted for others to see .... we really do want your input to help GEN develop. E-mail us on [email protected]

Datafile: Deaths: 700+ Missing: 50,000 + Help needed for: 1 - 2 million people (including more than 200,000 under 5 years of age) Food aid needed for: 0.5 - 1 million people Internally Displaced People: 250,000 - 500,000 Crops/tools lost: 124,000 households Schools destroyed: 600 (120,000 children displaced) Worst floods for over 50 years World Bank estimates costs of $270 - $430 to rebuild (Source: Mozambique News Agency April 2000) News Update: MOZAMBIQIUE 100,000s had to move to drier areas For much of February and March, news bulletins and newspapers in the UK reported the devastation caused by widespread flooding in Mozambique and surrounding Southern African countries. Mozambique was featured in the previous issue of Global Eye as a case study in our 'Focus On Refugees' article. After years of civil war, millions of displaced people have returned home and, despite widespread poverty, Mozambique's economy has been growing rapidly in the last few years. Problems began in early February when rainfall was much heavier than usual. This became worse as two intense tropical cyclones hit the country. Cyclone Eline arrived in the last week of February, bringing high winds and torrential rain. In March, Gloria brought yet more rain and flooding. Estimates put the total rainfall in February at over 1000 mms (7 times higher than normal). Flooding devastated much of central and southern Mozambique. As the Zambezi, Limpopo and Save rivers and their tributaries overflowed, land was not just submerged under water, but under layers of mud and silt. TV news reports showed thousands of people on roof tops and in trees surrounded by floodwater, waiting to be rescued by boat or helicopter. Two months later the floodwater is at last beginning to recede, but the damage it has left behind will take years (and billions of dollars) to repair. In the short term, there is a continuing threat of water-borne disease like cholera and malaria and an urgent need to rehome and feed up to a million people. Flood water like this covered almost half of Mozambique The disaster in Mozambique is no longer 'news', yet help is still desperately needed. Homes, roads, bridges, railways, schools and clinics need to be rebuilt. Water supplies and irrigation schemes need to be restored and made safe. Over a quarter of the farmland has been affected - over 80% of Mozambique's people rely on farming. Much foreign aid has arrived, notably food, blankets, seeds, farming tools and medicines. A wide range of NGOs, the UN and others are involved in relief programmes, with help likely to be needed for at least two years.