Stephen Wamukota, a nine-year-old from Mukwa village in Western Kenya, is making the headlines worldwide for his creative hand washing machine. The young boy came up with the idea after watching villagers, who do not have easy access to running water and struggle to find an effective way to wash their hands to avoid catching and spreading COVID-19.

Using the few resources he could get—wood, nails and a bucket—Stephen designed and built a simple but functional washing station. The clever creation, which is made up of two pedals (踏板)—one to release soap and the other to release water—enables villagers to wash their hands in a contact-free way, thus reducing the likelihood of catching the infectious disease.

“I had bought some pieces of wood to make a window frame, but when I came back home after work one day, I found that Stephen had made the machine,” his father, James, told the media. “The concept was his, and I helped tighten the machine. I’m very proud.” James credits Stephen’s building skill to the village school’s curriculum (全部课程), which teaches children to construct items from a very young age.

The invention, which went viral after James posted a photo online, has made Stephen an instant celebrity in Kenya. In early June 2020, the country’s leader gave Stephen the Uzalendo Award for making significant contributions towards the nation’s fight against COVID-19. Stephen has also been promised a full scholarship to a school that can develop his creative talent, by the county governor.

Though thrilled at the unexpected fame and success, Stephen is not satisfied with what he has achieved. The young boy has already built another hand washing machine and plans on adding several more.

African countries have retrieved some historic relics(遗物), which reflects the important development of human society, from European countries. Recently, Germany signed a deal for the return of hundreds of valuable artworks from the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century, in what is today Benin.

But many artifacts(手工艺品) are still unluckily missing and some are on their way back. One is an eight-legged seat from the old kingdom in Uganda. The important artifact now sits at a museum thousands of kilometers away in Britain. The wooden seat is housed at the University of Oxford. It is one of at least 279 relics there taken from the Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom.

Apollo John Rwamparo is a leader of Uganda. He really values the country’s cultural relics. He requested the British to return the artifacts. Ugandan leaders are preparing to meet with the University of Cambridge in Britain about the return of such historical artifacts. The school has an unknown number of artifacts from Africa. Through many efforts,an artifact was returned to its home.

The British Museum holds a large collection of artifacts from Africa. Rose Mwanja said she had been trying hard on it and believed it could have some good effects. She is a director of Uganda’s museums. She added she could start with those that are more willing to cooperate.

Many of the artifacts from Africa cannot even be found. That led to an organization started by late Congolese art collector Sindika Dokolo. The organization offers to buy African art from collections in foreign countries, By 2020, when Dokolo died, his group had successfully recovered 15 items. However, for African governments, the recovery of artifacts remains a struggle and will take much time.

In 2019, Costa Rica was named “Champion of the Earth”by the United Nations for its direct role in protecting nature and fighting climate change.

Over 98% of Costa Rica’s energy has come from renewable sources since 2014 and 70% of all public transport is expected to turn electric by 2035. Through a combination of protected areas, ecosystem services programs, and ecotourism, Costa Rica has successfully restored its forest cover from 26% in 1983 to over 52% in 2021—proving to the rest of the world that reversing forest destruction is possible with the right approach.

“Our sustainable tourism model has allowed us to seek and attract groups of travelers that recognize our differences and the quality of experiences in the country,” Costa Rica’s Tourism Minister Gustavo Segura Sancho said.

The country contains more than 6% of the world’s biodiversity despite covering only about 0.03% of the surface of the globe. Housing so much biological variety doesn’t just make Costa Riea a dream location for nature lovers, it also makes the country especially vulnerable (易受伤害的) to climate change.

“Despite being a small developing country, Costa Rica has decades of sustainable tourism efforts underway,” says Segura Sancho.“Our work involves the efforts of individuals and organizations throughout Costa Rica.”

The country’s tourism model was developed with three primary factors in mind: sustainability, innovation, and inclusiveness. Costa Rica’s tourist attractions focus on activities that respect the environment and offer travelers opportunities to reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to conservation and cultural heritage (遗产).

Focusing on long-term sustainability within the tourism industry involved a few risks, for example by making the country a bit more expensive to visit. Luckily, there is a growing tendency among international tourists to choose to consider destinations making an effort to conserve and protect natural resources. The country’s decades-long investment in sustainable tourism was a good one.