Hassan Istiila
Saturday June 29, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) - Environmental Journalists for Somalia (EJS), with the support of the European Union and International Organization for Migration- IOM, conducted a two-day waste reduction workshop for 50 Internally Displaced People in Mogadishu's Deyniile district on June 25-26, 2024.
The workshop included hands-on activities and interactive sessions focused on reducing and upcycling waste in the IDP camps and encouraging a culture of environmental responsibility within the Internally Displaced People communities. The trainers also provided participants with small skills to generate income.
The workshop was part of the 2024 EU Green Week, the annual European Union event focused on the environment. This year's theme was "Towards a Water Resilient Europe."
The workshop trainer, Abdilatif Hussein Omar, emphasized that most training involved hands-on activities to teach IDPs skills in reducing and upcycling waste.
"We have raised awareness and taught techniques to distinguish upcyclable waste and ways to make money from it. For example, they learned how to make brooms from empty sacks, use bottles or cans to grow flowers, and then take them to the market. They also learned how to make decorative items from cardboard. It's a business opportunity," he said.
Adan Hassan Noor, a farmer who fled the Lower Shabelle region, stated, "In the past, I used to throw away most one-time-use items because I did not know how to upcycle them. Today, I learned a lot from this workshop and promised to share my knowledge with those who could not attend. I am grateful to the EJS and the EU."
Noor added that training for displaced people should be increased to strengthen their skills.
Rahma Ali Adan, a 17-year-old girl, underscored the importance of the workshop in gaining upcycling skills to help her family. After the workshop, Rahma said, "I got what I expected from the workshop activities. I am very excited and satisfied with the hands-on activities. We thank the EU for supporting this training."
Rahma Ali Adan and 50 other participants benefited from the two-day workshop, gaining knowledge, awareness, and skills in upcycling and environmental responsibility in the IDP camp in Mogadishu.
Climate change is undeniably a harsh reality in Somalia. Over the past five seasons, the country has experienced consecutive failed rains. In October last year, El Nino further compounded the crisis, flooding one-third of Somalia's landscape.
Despite contributing only 0.03% to global greenhouse gas emissions, Somalis are among the greatest victims of the chaos caused by the climate crisis.