Women at the shelter asked the group for help, saying the area is often dirty because of street hawkers who throw food and garbage into the street. Although the streets close to the shelter were thoroughly cleaned, many of the women at the shelter believe the problem will persist.

“We’ve been suffering for months; our street is dirty and full of rubbish,” said one of the women. “I blame the women who sell food in front of our place. They keep throwing away boxes of rotten vegetables, which attract cats and flies.

“The shelter smells so bad. We can’t even open windows to enjoy the cool weather because the flies immediately come inside and the cats make loud noises at night so we can’t sleep,” she said.

Street peddlers claim they have been selling food at the spot for years and that it is their only way to earn money. “It’s not my fault that flies gather on fruit and vegetables. I’m selling and I’m not willing to move from this location for that reason. I have been selling here for years minding my own business,” said Sofia, a Somali street peddler.

“My people are the only ones who buy from me and they know where I sell my goods. If I moved, then they might not find me and I might lose costumers,” she added.

Volunteers expect people to learn how to keep their neighborhoods clean as they won't be able to keep on doing this for them. “Our campaign aims to spread awareness among people living in Jeddah about the importance of keeping their areas clean and hygienic. We gather a number of volunteers to help them clean streets and show people how to do it on their own,” said Karam Khashoggi, the group’s leader.

“Soon after getting a call from women at the shelter, we headed here to aid them knowing that they cannot do the cleaning themselves, but we expect other people, including the Somalis who live here, to give us a hand at this to make their neighborhood spotless and livable,” he said.

Volunteers from the group, along with the municipality and the Saudi Environmental Society, are planning to keep on cleaning the historical area of Jeddah and renovate 500 old houses to make the area presentable for all inhabitants.