JEDDAH, 6 January 2003 — Simply but with great effort, the Somali program co-ordinators of PERSGA (Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden) are doing a commendable job in raising awareness about the environment. They have implemented some excellent programs, especially in schools with regards to preventing pollution and encouraging environment-friendly action. PERSGA is an intergovernmental body dedicated to the conservation of the region’s coastal and marine environments.
Operating from Jeddah, it is responsible for the development and implementation of regional programs to protect the region’s unique ecosystem and biological diversity. Through a team of professionals from PERSGA’s member states — Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen — it seeks to enhance public awareness and understanding of marine conservation and sustainable development.
A Strategic Action Program launched in 1998 is involved with the reduction of navigation risks and marine pollution, sustainable use of living marine resources, conservation of habitats and biodiversity and the establishment of a network of protected marine areas. Great satisfaction comes from activities aiming to enhance public awareness about the necessity to protect the environments of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and to increase the participation of various groups within the community. Along with producing educational material, TV documentaries and an Internet webpage, PERSGA has implemented successful programs at the local level, targeting schools, communities and decision-makers.
One program is establishing environmental clubs at schools. These environmental clubs have been particularly successful in Somalia.
In the part of the country which is on the Gulf of Aden, a total of 15 environmental clubs in 11 schools, with some schools have been established; because of interest, some schools have two clubs.
The club’s activities include drama in which students make plain the effects of current environmental pollutants such as plastics and charcoal.
Another activity is assigning students to write articles about environmental issues and then reading the article to the entire school. The best one is selected for publishing in a local newspaper which is distributed all over the country. Other activities include tree-planting, beach-cleaning and field trips to mangrove sites.
According to Ali Yusuf, one of the program’s coordinators in Somalia, “We have distributed 450 seedlings to the four schools participating in the environmental program in northwestern Somalia. The students plant them and take care of them throughout the year.” Yusuf explained, We also hold inter-club competitions.
Ten members from each club answer a set of questions organized by the Ministry of Education. The winning team is given a reward on the spot in front of all students and their families.
Another of the Somali coordinators added, “These activities show the importance of non-formal education in the formal curriculum. Our goal is to train and guide the clubs and their supervisors who are usually teachers from the school so they can carry out these activities on their own.”
