JEDDAH, 29 June — Braving the afternoon sun, school children and families turned up in thousands for a beach cleanup campaign, which was formally launched by Jeddah Governor Prince Mishal ibn Majed at the Corniche yesterday.
Wearing T-shirts and gloves and carrying trash bags, volunteers, both young and old, collected garbage to send a message to citizens and residents on the significance of keeping the beach as well as the rest of the city pollution free.
Prince Mishal looked visibly impressed with the way children were engaged in ridding the beach of its garbage. “I’m happy to see young children taking part in this campaign,” the prince told the organizers who accompanied him.
The two-day Sawa Sawa campaign, organized by the Saudi Gazette newspaper, continues at North Corniche today. Presenting the “Sawa Sawa Beach Cleanup 2001” plaque to Prince Mishal, Saudi Gazette Editor-in-Chief Dr. Ahmad Al-Yusuf said: “Making Jeddah beautiful involves keeping it clean and immaculate. We take the Corniche for granted. It’s high time we realized that the more we dump waste on seashores or in the water, the less we’ll be able to enjoy the beauty of the Corniche. We hope the people will join us in this mega initiative and keep up the momentum.”
Among the guests present were JCCI Secretary-General Dr. Majed Al-Qasabi, Japanese Consul General Hajime Tanaki, Russian Consul General Dr. Anwar Iyanov and Indian Consul General Syed Akbaruddin.
“We hope this effort will go a long way in creating the much needed awareness among the citizens about maintaining their beach and city,” said the guests.
From 3 p.m. until dusk, enthusiastic children took part in the campaign filling their trash bags. “We’re here to make the city a more beautiful place to live in,” the participants said. Their action reassured the prince that they were with him in ridding the beach of dirt and pollution, and making the surroundings environment-friendly.
The Hamra Corniche was deliberately chosen for the launch as most families gather there for outings and it’s also an area constantly polluted. Families participating in the campaign registered at specially set-up centers where they were handed cleanup kits — Sawa Sawa campaign caps, T-shirts, gloves and trash bags.
In a simultaneous effort, Sawa Sawa was extended to a mega-clean campaign of the Red Sea, which gets polluted every year from dumping waste and toxic materials that harm marine and coral life. “At the end of the campaign, the trash will be weighed and the participants will be honored for joining this worthwhile cause,” the organizers said.
A PADI Project Awareness team focusing on the Red Sea cleanup and two members of the Sunshine Clowns were present to cheer up the children engaged in the campaign. Children from Indian, Philippine, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi schools took part.
