Arabic

Sulaymaniyah – After a two-year interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its preventive measures, on the 25th of November Humat Dijlah has reorganized its fifth annual youth camp, for 5 days, in Dukan – Sulaymaniyah, the camp included 44 environmental activists from 13 Iraqi cities. 

This year, The camp differed from the previous seasons in terms of management, as it managed by the participants themselves, by dividing them upon arrival to Dukan into work groups, also it differed by applying better environmental standards, such as the sustainable use of resources, as we were keen to reduce carbon emissions during the way to reach Dukan, and a better estimate of the participants’ requirements of food and water.

 

The Sustainable Use of Resources

Imagine providing food and water to more than 40 people for a whole week using the most popular items on the market; Single-use plastic dishes, how much waste would be by the end of this week!

Implementing the sustainable use of resources policy – the process of preserving all resources and reusing them without burning them or discharging them to land, water or air that threatens the environment or human health – was one of the most important values of Humat Dijlah Camp,​​ as an attempt to reduce the amount of waste down to Zero-waste. Where the camp coordinators were keen to convey this value and maximize the sense of responsibility towards the environment in the participants by encouraging them to use reusable food dishes and reusable water bottles, the amount of waste produced during the camp was almost non-existent as we recycled the food waste to feed the animals, we should say that this mechanism has been greatly admired by the participants, as they will work on applying these principles in their cities.

Humat Dijlah Second Conference  

The camp included the holding of the second conference of Humat Dijlah, where the activists discussed the environmental challenges facing Iraq in general, then the challenges and issues that their cities suffer from, then the participants developed sustainable solutions in order to reduce these problems.

The conference was keen to involve as much as possible of Humat Dijlah activists in making and strengthening the  policies and objectives of association for the next periods. The conference  estaminated Humat Dijlah’s effectiveness through previous activities as well as the expected and achieved results by conducting an extensive study, and then the participants suggested sustainable goals for the coming years, taking into consideration the various environmental problems may differ according to the geographical regions. 

The conference also discussed how to maximize the effectiveness of campaigns of raising the community awareness  regarding the environmental issues and motivate the communities to make positive changes.

Mornings at the Camp

Every day at sunrise, the participants start their day with morning exercises, to be filled with excitement and energy, and then they have breakfast and walk to the Conference of Humat Dijlah. The first day was a big challenge for some participants, especially after a long day of travel, but soon it became a morning routine during all of the Camp days.

 

Adventures in Chamirezan Mountains 

In the afternoon of the third day, a distance of 6 kilometers was walked by the participants to climb the slopes of Jamirzan, to get to know the amazing nature there, walking on the rugged mountain slopes into a cave at the top of the mountain, we faced challenges, as the most of the participants do not have the mountaineering experiences, but we were able to overcome it by teamwork and cooperation, so we can safely complete the adventure and return to our camp.

 

Camp’s Evenings

As for the evenings of the camp, many interesting activities were carried out by the participants, watching documentaries, playing games, and getting to know the different cultures of the cities. It also included discussions about the most important issues raised in the conference, and a daily review of the sessions’ outcomes. These activities motivated our adventurous spirit, strengthened the bonds between members, as the differences between us dissolved and the only goal that unites us emerged: The Environment Needs a Step.

 

Humat Dijlah Camp represented a space for the environmental activists from various cities to learn about the problems of other cities that they can’t reach, share their problems and challenges, and be part of the development of the association future plans, that will ensure the continuation of our environmental movement which aimed to improving the reality of water and reducing pollutants that affect all cities.

This Camp is an annual event organized by Humat Dijlah Association. This year, the camp was organized within the FAI Foundation-funded  project of Human and Environmental Security in Iraq in Covid19 time, which was implemented by Humat Dijlah in cooperation with the Un Ponte Per. 

To Watch The Camp Video On YouTube,  Click HERE .