Once upon a time – and it was not long ago – there was a green village in the desert, named Dahab. It was so nice there under a nearly closed roof of many different trees, nice cool in the burning sun heat, nice shaded in the bright blinding light of the sun, nice moist in the dry desert, and a living spot in the dead surrounding. In this atmosphere it was possible to create new thoughts for a future full of life and gladness.
Then people started to build houses, more and more, on nearly every free place, to rent them out to foreigners, tourists, strange people. The village became grey, stony, dry, hot and dusty – like the surrounding desert. The origin people’s life concerned more and more about money. Earning money from tourists to pay the expenses for the houses. But the quality of life became worse, empty and boring.
Then some people met a taxi driver. He showed a picture on his mobile phone how green Dahab was some few years ago. And these people felt the longing of all inhabitants and tourists for a living, planted village with a lively atmosphere. So they started to create ideas to plant trees and shrubs in the village – with the bigger goal to spread it out into the desert to green the desert into bigger and bigger areas.
We like to invite everybody to realize this idea, to plant trees and shrubs, to create money for this, to give Dahab a green future. We think especially on children, they love their land and can feel responsible for it and learn how to care about it and plant many different plants in different ways. Grownups, parents, teachers, freelancers and free activists can start to involve children in their planting activities. And they can learn from children how to work together in a playful way.
How would it be to create two core groups of active project leaders? In according to the local cultural traditions it could be a women’s group and a men’s or mixed group. Both can involve children into their work. Leaders of the women’s group could be Tasnem and Laura, to invite other women and children from the village and organize what is needed. For the same purposes Nagy and Ramy can be leaders of the men’s group. Christian knows about practical and ecological things and can guide the people in preparing the places and planting. Marit can do the practical guidance in the women’s group. Matthias can connect people in a nice way and give practical support, and Filip gives the music into all to play and enjoy the work together. Maarja documents all what is done to show it to the public and potential donators, which will be acquired by Selina, so the impulse can spread out and grow. And Iris will support us to give a good ground in the atmosphere for the project.
So they lived happily ever after and the surrounding became more and more green.