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STORY: UN / WATER CHILDREN ORIGAMI BIRDS
TRT: 05:12
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 10, 22 MARCH 2023, NEW YORK CITY
10 MARCH 2023, NEW YORK CITY
1. Various shots, children creating origami hummingbirds, classroom, The Ecole
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Luann Adams, storyteller:
“The little hummingbird really embodies that spirit of doing the right thing, even if it’s just me. And the idea that many in body can be one of mind. All of a sudden, that unity that spreads like a ripple, gets into a wave, and a huge wave that can do something so masterful for the world.”
3. Various shots, children, origami hummingbirds, classroom, Ecole
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Yves Vesseau, Head of School, The Ecole:
“I was very happy for our school to take part in this project because it’s a wonderful way to give a voice to the children. Obviously, the problem of water is one of emergency, and our generation has a lot to account for. It’s a limited resource, water, and our generation has not done a great job of protecting it. And the planet that we’re going to leave to these children, this is theirs now. And they have to start making their decisions, and hopefully, they’ll make better decisions than we have.”
5. Various shots, children, origami birds with written commitment
22 MARCH 2023, NEW YORK CITY
6. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters
7. Wide shot, interior, people walking, UN Secretariat Visitor’s Lobby
8. Various shots, origami birds
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Daniella Bostrom, Communications Manager, UN-Water:
“These are hummingbirds from around the world. Children from 21 countries have been creating them. And it’s the idea that we had when we were doing the campaign for World Water Day this year. We wanted to inspire children to be able to make their own commitments, just as the delegates here are making their bigger commitments.”
10. Close up, people unpacking the box of origami birds
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Daniella Bostrom, Communications Manager, UN-Water:
“It’s absolutely crucial that we all take some sort of action. Both on an individual level but also on a global level. So that’s what we’re all here to do today.”
12. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters
On World Water Day, flocks of paper origami hummingbirds arrive to “attend” the UN Water Conference in New York from 22-24 March, carrying the future generation’s resolve to turn the tide on the global water crisis.
In an ancient Peruvian folktale, a hummingbird fetches water to put out a forest fire, one drop at a time.
The other animals look on and laugh at her.
Then, the little bird replies, “I’m doing what I can.” The tale inspired UN-Water, which coordinates the world body’s work on water and sanitation, to launch the ‘Be the change’ campaign for World Water Day on 22 March, which urges everyone to do what they can to change how they use and manage water.
As part of this, the United Nations has mobilized school children to make a global bouquet of origami hummingbirds, now on display at UN headquarters during the Water Conference, to connect the registered participants to the children whose future is at stake.
In New York City, the École, a French-American school, engaged all kindergarten to 8th-grade classes in a World Water Day workshop.
The students folded pieces of square paper into hummingbirds and wrote their commitments on them.
