We occasionally bump into trees in the busy streets of Egypt, but not often do we find fruit trees (other than this unknown tree we all thought was a berry tree as kids.) Omar El-Deeb, Shagrha’s CEO, once found someone eating berries off a tree in his neighborhood and thought, what if we could all eat fruits off trees in the street? Then, Shagrha came to life. An afforestation initiative inviting people to plant fruit trees, vegetables and aromatic plants in streets and public places, Shagrha has been spreading seeds all over Egypt since 2016.
The initiative has two main goals, planting fruit trees instead of decorative ones and spreading awareness about the environment. Over the past three years, they have planted more than 60,000 fruit trees in 14 governorates and some countries including Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Yemen and Mauritania. More than 200 events have taken place in that period ranging from talks, workshops and planting trips with schools and companies. More than 60 public and private schools have been taking part as well as universities, the European Union, Rotary and the Egyptian government.
VIA Omar El-Deeb
Shagrha’s next project will be in Upper Egypt and Delta aiming at five thousand trees in five governorates. El-Deeb mentioned that one of their greatest milestones has been planting the rooftop of Egypt’s Ministry of Environment in September with the help of other organizations. “We were able to plant the entire rooftop in such a short period of time, and we’re really proud of it,” said El-Deeb. Shagrha were also the first to plant the rooftop of an oil rig using hydro-bionic techniques.
What about maintenance? “This is what makes Shagrha special, we make sure to follow-up on the trees and regularly check on them.” Shagrha’s team talk to the locals of the place prior to planting to brief them about how to take care of the tree, when to water and fertilize it and what pesticides to use. Phone calls and visits are carried out regularly to ensure that trees are healthy.
Other than physically planting trees, Shaghra’s team makes sure to post how-to’s on their Facebook and Instagram to encourage people to plant themselves as well as share important facts and tips related to vegetation and aromatic plants.
Shagrha was able to achieve a few goals they had planned for 2020 including planting 5000 rooftops and balconies. Now they’re working on reaching 100,000 trees by 2020, and one million by 2030. “I really want for us to have our own land in Obour, where I live. I wish the city could provide us with 300m of deserted land so we can plant it and even launch a cultural-environmental hub, where we can teach people about planting and the environment,” said El-Deeb.
More volunteers have been joining the initiative and Shagrha is now making a real change. “There were people who doubted the initiative at first, thinking it will never succeed. ‘The trees will be ruined, and kids won’t leave them alone,’ they would tell me. But people are slowly grasping the idea, and that’s the beauty of changing people’s mindset regarding the environment and protecting it,” said El-Deeb.
