- Title: In Egypt's 'Garbage City', a charity teaches children to recycle
- Date: 28th March 2023
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (MARCH 17, 2023) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GIRL FROM “ZABALEEN†NEIGHBOURHOOD, SHAHINDA, SAYING: "I am recycling and that’s good for the environment." VARIOUS OF SHAHINDA WALKING THROUGH HER NEIGHBOURHOOD AND COLLECTING THINGS TO BE RECYCLED SHAHINDA WITH A GIRL RUNNING IN THEIR NEIGHBOURHOOD VARIOUS OF CHILDREN WITH FOUNDER OF "AL-MASAHA" INITIATIVE, TRESSA SAAID, ENTERING “AL-MASAHA†BUILDING SHAHINDA WITH OTHERS SITTING FOR RECYCLING WORKSHOP (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FOUNDER OF “AL-MASAHA†SPACE FOR RECYCLING, TRESSA SAAID, SAYING: “One part we give attention to is to connect the child with the environment they live in. We are in a community where 85 percent of its members work in collection, sorting and recycling garbage. Children see plastic, cardboard and paper, so why not use the material at hand to make a toy, musical instrument, a vase or something reusable out of it?†VARIOUS OF TRESSA TEACHING CHILDREN WHAT TO DO WITH THE SCRAP (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FOUNDER OF “AL-MASAHA†SPACE FOR RECYCLING, TRESSA SAAID, SAYING: “All these things help children connect with the environment where they live and to think differently. Instead of them being angry about their environment, it's about how they can add value to it.†VARIOUS OF CHILDREN DURING “AL-MASAHA†WORKSHOP (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FOUNDER OF “AL-MASAHA†SPACE FOR RECYCLING, TRESSA SAAID, SAYING: “Today we aimed to let the children collect items from their homes and we also went to the street with them to collect items. We wanted them to see the items they collected on the table and see what can be done with them. Children started to participate, some of them said they will make a piggy bank or drum, others said they will make home decorations. The second part of the workshop focused on drawing on glass. It is good for them to draw on something other than paper, to experiment with drawing on other materials and see what will come out of the product we are making.†VARIOUS OF TEACHERS AND CHILDREN PREPARING MATERIALS FOR PAINTING ON GLASS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FOUNDER OF “AL-MASAHA†SPACE FOR RECYCLING, TRESSA SAAID, SAYING: “The space here is 100 percent dependent on the volunteers, whether the children themselves or their mothers who help us in sorting and exhibiting the items, as well as volunteers from outside the neighbourhood who are interested in the idea and care about helping the community. They help us in the sessions with the mothers, the children’s activities, help with exhibitions or parties.†VARIOUS OF CHILDREN DRAWING, PAINTING AND SHOWING WHAT THEY MADE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FOUNDER OF “AL-MASAHA†SPACE FOR RECYCLING, TRESSA SAAID, SAYING: “I chose this place simply because I belong to the neighbourhood and one of my dreams was to realise, after seeing other neighbourhoods, that our children do not have access to the simple things available to other children. I felt like why not have a space for the children where they can play, be heard, express, and learn skills that are not focused on religion; skills that are more related to their lives. This was my passion. I worked in institutions and actually achieved my goal but I lost my job during the pandemic and I felt like I should not stop doing the things I do. That’s why I started my initiative two years ago and I wanted it to be in the same neighbourhood where I started with the mothers and the children whose problems I truly feel and live with. That’s why I want to help them.†TRESSA ON HER PHONE A CHILD PLAYING IN THE CAR VARIOUS OF A MAN WALKING BETWEEN GARBAGE TO START HIS WORK COLLECTING AND SORTING PEOPLE WALKING PAST GARBAGE
- Embargoed: 11th April 2023 12:00
- Keywords: Cairo Childhood Egypt Environmrnt Pollution
- Location: CARIO, EGYPT
- City: CARIO, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Middle East,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA001839718032023RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:As a child growing up in Cairo's Manshiyat Nasser, a shanty town also known as "Garbage City", Teresa Saeed loved to draw and paint, and spent her free time rummaging through mountains of rubbish for paper and colours.
Now 34, she runs a charity that encourages children in the area to make creative and positive use of their environment by exploring the space and recycling.
In Manshiyat Nasser, a neighbourhood of unpainted brick buildings east of central Cairo, many streets and buildings are piled high with rubbish collected from across the metropolis that is processed or recycled informally.
"The whole idea is that these children are constantly surrounded with recycling. Why not teach them how to recycle in a way that reduces our consumption and benefits society?" she said.
Saeed's charity Mesaha, the Arabic word for space, runs weekly recycling activities for 150-200 children aged 6-15.
In two-day workshops, the children gather up waste such as plastic bottles, old sticks, cardboard, paper and cans, before recycling them into piggy banks, musical instruments, puzzles, or paintings.
"These activities help children connect with their environment and think outside the box," Saeed said. "Instead of being angry at my surrounding environment, how can I do something that adds value to it?"
Saeed hopes to expand the project to other areas in Egypt.
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