Holidays, waste, awareness-raising actions

The Association du Docteur Fatiha finishes the summer holidays on a high note, with 2 new awareness-raising actions this week.

One took part this very morning, in the Holidays Camp for teachers in Saidia. Sabah Ouali met about 50 people, from all ages, to present them our actions, and catch their attention on people’s look at waste.

Everybody enjoyed this morning of talkings, exchanges and games.

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Tomorrow, ADF will be once again on the beaches around Moulouya’s mouth. Numerous families will be there, making the most of their last resting days.

In the next weeks, as soon as the children will be back to school, ADF will start this new year’s environmental education. Dedicated to children aged from 10 up to 12 years-old, new environmental-focused activities and games are to foresse ! New schools will join the program by the beginning of 2014.

Do not forget: ADF is looking for new volunteers who would like to spread the word about environmental issues and solutions. It can be either recurring or temporary. To join our dynamic team and attend to the September training, write to sabah.ouali@adf-global.org.

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ADF on TV

2M interview colonie de Tafoghalt

This morning, the Association du Docteur Fatiha met 2M, the Moroccan national channel, while leading an awareness-raising campaign with children and young people.

You will soon see this report on TV, focusing on our activities with the summer camp in Tafoghalt. As soon as we know more about the exact broadcast time and day, we will tell you. [Sunday, 18th, evening news report]. So keep connected on our facebook page.

Two sensitization days were planned dedicated to the global waste issue.

This morning, Sabah Ouali presented our actions before the children to put on ADF’s tee-shirts and gloves to clean up the next wood. All in all, 1 200 liters of waste were collected !

a groupe

a enfant Tafoghalt

91 children aged from 8 to 15

took part in our activities on the 16th and the 17th  

The families of Tafoghalt and Berkane go quite often to Tafoghalt forests to have lunch. As a consequence, there were quite a lot to do! What was most picked up? Tuna tins, cans, milk bags, plastic bottles, even dippers, shoes, blankets and plastic bags of course !

a deux jeunes

ADF has got plenty of ideas to reuse garbage ; first plastic bags which can be turned into fashion accessories (www.ifassen.com), but we also transform plastic bottles into pencils holders, or juce cartons into wallets.

Tomorrow, the young Oujdis will make their own. A great opportunity for them to have a new look at “waste”.

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Cleaning Zegzel up

Sabah et la vue sur Zegzel

 

All the region’s inhabitants know the place : the Camel Cave. It’s the perfect place for a picnic, in the middle of the mountains.

In the core of the Beni Snassen uplands, the cave looks out over the valley of Oued Farrouj, tributary to Oued Zegzel. Considered as a haven of piece and of beauty for its quietness, its landscapes and its fruit trees, there nonetheless a cloud on the horizon : waste.

Now the summer has arrived, it became very difficult to find a small place spared by garbage and plastic waste.

 

Last 13th of June, ADF decided to act, in order to improve the situation. While explaining to people the importance of protecting nature and this very natural site, a cleaning campaign was led.

With Peace Corps and volunteers from the Youth Center el Majd, from Berkane, the cleaning was efficient. All in all, 18 100-liters bags were filled with garbage. The wonderful site is now free from them. It can now go on being an unavoidable place for leisure in the region.

Groupe Zegzel BD

Thanks to the whole team for this great job !

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Another point of view on environment

In may 2013, ADF  set up in Berkane a cartoon workshop, focusing on the plastic bags issue. 17 young people could take part in this chance to give their impression on the environmental situation of their hometown.

1st session: contextualization

Emmanuelle Pannetier, Environmental Education Manager for ADF and Elise Vanweydeveldt, Communications Manager, went to Ibn Rochd Secondary School to meet the budding artists, aged 5 to 13.

The young people learnt how much time it took for a plastic bag to desintegrate into the soil. After having talked about the association’s solution to plastic pollution, the debate could begin.

Banderole sacs

 

2nd session: let’s draw! 

Jean-Michel Vanweydeveldt, graphic designer and cartoonist in the North of France, hosted the workshop. He is used to that: he organized some with schools and specialized centers in his region. But Morocco was a first.

The kids began to imagine a scenario. If the theme was set (plastic pollution), they did not lack ideas to turn it their way.

1 - 1ère séance dessins préparatoires scénario (26)

Their plot: a plastic monster attacks Berkane, the Clementine’s capital! They choose to make ADF intervene and help them struggle against the giant. The first sketches were drawn during this 2.5 hours session. How to draw a plastic bag monster? And a city? Not very easy at first sight…

3rd session: drawing techniques and hard working

The cartoonist had worked on his side, to gather the kids’ ideas into a 2-pages cartoon. The young people then had to realize the final drawings.

First with a drawing pencil, then with a thin black felt pen, they had lots to do! The bullets were not filled: the texts was added on computer, so that we could have both an Arabic and French version.

3 - 2ème séance dessins finaux et contours (15)

 

4th session: coloring plastic bags

5 - colorisation (7)

The last session took part without the cartoonist, who had come back to his grey France. The young Moroccans added the color to their drawings on computer. It was not easy to agree on which color to choose on the 4 different parts of the cartoon!

All in all, 10 hours were necessary to create those 2 pages. But the result is worth it.

We are sorry, the cartoon is only available in Arabic and French.

3 - 2ème séance dessins finaux et contours

Thanks to everyone for this special workshop!

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Eco-friendly gestures for children to take care of their environment

It is essential for ADF to involve new generations in the protection of their environment. As tomorrow’s adults and actors, they should know more about the impacts of  people on nature and how to guard it against deteriorations.

This is why the Association du Docteur Fatiha built meaningful partnerships with schools in Berkane and Chouihiya, both located in Eastern Morocco.

Emmanuelle Pannetier, in charge of the sensitization project here, on the field, and Sabah Ouali, local coordinator, met almost 700 children this month. Each intervention lasts at least 1.30 hours. On the menu : go into more depth on environmental pollution and the risks which are related to it, as well as detail simple gestures to preserve nature.


All those interventions went well : the pupils are always curious and willing to learn more about environmental protection. They will meet our team for other workshops organized in the following months. The next encounter will happen at the end of March, for a recycling activity. Nothing is more fundamental than involving children into the learning process, for them to better understand the impact of their gestures on their daily-life and environment.

A quote to illustrate our approach : “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Benjamin Franklin

Know more : ADF also set up cleaning campaigns in Berkane’s schools. See the post.

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