Sharjah children save the environment

Keen to improve the surroundings and do their bit towards making the world a better place, Hams (11) in grade 7, Mohammad (10) in grade 5 and little Shahad (7) in grade 2 collected over 6.5kg of used cans (around 600 items) in their neighbourhood in Al Khan, Sharjah.

Their efforts seem to have paid off in more ways than one: they were awarded a ‘Champions' certificate from Bee'ah, the Sharjah environment company, for demonstrating sincerity, commitment and great results.

The three credit their mother, Hamsa Younis, for inspiring them to embark on such a drive. "She used to tell us the importance of waste recycling,'' says Hams.

The three began collecting used soft drink cans from their own home, those of relatives, friends and neighbours and also a few restaurants in their locality.

So motivated were the children after they received the commendation, that they repeated the feat a second time - a few months ago they turned up at the Bee'ah office with 4kg of cans for recycling.

"We decided to start collecting empty cans last year after we heard about the initiative on World Environment Day," recalls Hams.

"We participated in many events, organised by Bee'ah, where we've learnt a lot about the important effects recycling has on protectingthe environment."

Mohammad says the experience made them aware of the significance of keeping their environment clean and wants to spread this message to other children as well.

"We hope to shed light on this initiative so it attracts everyone's attention; we believe that we can change people's perceptions ofsimilar projects.

"Some people think initiatives like these are a waste of time and are unconcerned with getting involved. We have even had people telling us not to bother because collecting empty cans is the occupation of cleaners." But that did not deter the three who have made it their mission to tell others to clean up. "It bothers meto see children throwing litter on the road,'' says Shahad. "I always wonder why people want to dirty the place they live in! The hardest part is that some people do not tend to cleanup their surroundings because they feel they did not cause the pollution in the first place."

Hams seconds her sister's views. "We would like to remind children that we're all in the same boat; we're all responsible for establishing a greener, unpolluted environment and we ask that they help us achieve this by supporting our initiative."

The children say they are happy about the recognition they received, but now can collection has become part of their lives and they intendto continue doing this as long as they are able as they feel this activity has changed their lives and they feel greater responsibility towards their neighbourhood.

"Thanks to our mother's support, collecting cans has become an intrinsic part of our daily lives. We believe in our cause and the principle that one's happiness depends on the effort one devotes to preserving and protecting the place in which they live, work and play, whether that's at home, school or elsewhere," Mohammad says.