Nairobi, Kenya – (African Boulevard News) – The use of virtual reality (VR) technology is now being deployed in a bid to educate students in Kenya about plastic pollution and climate change. Kenya is among the countries in Africa that have suffered most from plastic pollution. Lack of proper waste disposal mechanisms has led to a considerable amount of plastic waste, especially in beachfront towns such as Mombasa and Malindi.
To address this issue, a non-profit organization, Ocean Sole, is partnering with a VR company, HMD Global, to introduce VR technology to Kenyan schools. The VR experience is aimed at teaching students about different types of plastic waste pollution. Through the VR headsets, the students can see the impact of plastic waste on the environment.
“So, VR comes in helping them, one, conceptualize the problem. It’s one thing to say ‘don’t throw away waste,’ but it is another thing to understand that if I throw away a plastic bottle, it will end up here or there and eventually pollute the environment,” says Ocean Sole founder, Julie Church.
The VR technology allows learners to visualize and understand the impact of plastic waste pollution. Through the virtual experience, students can see how plastic waste kills marine life, affects the food chain, and disrupts the ecosystem.
The Ocean Sole VR project focuses on students in both primary and secondary schools. Ocean Sole aims to have 250,000 students learn using VR per year, with the hope to spread the environmental conversation to over 1 million people.
“Education is key, especially among the young people who will inherit this planet. The virtual reality project is a great opportunity to allow students to understand better the effects of pollution on the environment and the need to take action,” says HMD Global CEO, Florian Seiche.
The project is still in its early stages, and the partners hope to develop it further. They plan to expand the project to cover other environmental issues, such as deforestation and water pollution.
The use of VR to teach students about environmental issues is a creative and engaging way of educating the younger generation. It provides an interactive and immersive way of learning that is both informative and fun. Through this technology, students are not only learning about the environment, but they are also developing an appreciation for it.
In conclusion, the Ocean Sole VR project is set to revolutionize learning in Kenya. It is an innovative way of encouraging environmental conservation and will go a long way in fostering a generation of environmentally conscious citizens.
