A Great Green Wall for Africa

Several African countries are cooperating on a project that will improve people's lives. Click on the embedded link below to read the article, see photos, and stream or download the audio file on the PRI website. Word count: 619

         

Africa's Great Green Wall is making progress on two fronts

      

Before reading:

       

General Knowledge:

• Where is the Sahara Desert? Can you name any of the countries that are in this desert?
• What is 'desertification'? What causes it? How does it affect the people living nearby?

       

Speculate:

• Many countries in Africa are cooperating to build a 'Great Green Wall'. What do you think it might be? What might be its purpose?

     

      

Credit: Bobby Bascomb

       

After reading:

      

Review and discuss:

• Write a 3-4 sentence summary of this article. Begin your summary with "This article is about…".
• What does the article's title mean? What are the 'two fronts' that the writer is referring to?
• How many benefits of the Great Green Wall project are mentioned in the article? Make a list. Can you think of any other possible benefits that were not mentioned?
• What does Elvis Paul Tangam mean when he says that a sense of 'ownership' is the greatest accomplishment of the project?
• Why might the French government be interested in investing so much money in the project? (Hint: consider Africa's colonial history.)
• Tangam thinks it will take at least a generation for the Great Green Wall to become a reality. Why?
• In your opinion, what was the most interesting thing mentioned in this article? Why?

        

Reflect and evaluate:

• What do you think might have been some of the challenges to achieving cooperation among so many different countries?
• What does this article suggest about gender roles in these countries?
• What are the biggest threats to the environment in the area where you live? Is anything being done to change the situation?
• Is there anything else you'd like to know about this topic? Do you have any questions that weren't answered in the article?
• What vocabulary words were new to you in this article? Make a record of what you have learned.

         

Beyond the page:

• Explore the website for the Great Green Wall initiative: Great Green Wall
• Indigenous plants are an important part of the Great Green Wall project. What plants are indigenous to the area where you live? Why do they grow well in that environment?
• Do some research to find out more about the Sahara Desert.

           

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