Eco-warriors from a Dubai-based green organisation plant mangroves in Suriname. Right, Volunteers of Green Hope during a visit to an orphanage. - Supplied photos
Dubai - The team was invited by the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Suriname.
Published: Mon 16 Jul 2018, 8:00 PM
Last updated: Tue 17 Jul 2018, 8:53 PM
A group of eco-warriors in Dubai travelled to the world's largest tropical rainforest to educate indigenous tribes on preserving their greenery and keeping planet earth healthy.
Six members from the Green Hope organisation, four of whom were from the UAE, took their message of a greener planet all the way to the Amazon rainforest this month.
The Green Hope group consists of hundreds of members who are situated all over the world. A Dubai-based student, Kehkashan Basu, had started the organisation several years ago, and now its members travel worldwide, educating the public on being environment- friendly.
"The Green Hope team travelled into the Amazon rainforest and engaged with children of the local tribes, educating them about the importance of not taking their forests for granted and to adopt simple sustainable concepts of recycling, waste reduction, tree planting and avoiding plastic usage," Basu said.
The team was invited by the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Suriname to support the involvement of Surinamese youth in UN's sustainable development goals. They also worked with Amazon's Maroon tribe and carried out workshops for them.
Suriname is a very small country located on the northeastern coast of South America and majority of it is covered by the Amazon rainforest.
"We spoke to them about environmental conservation, how they can protect the planet by taking small steps in their own community. We also stressed on the harmful effects of plastic and why they should say no to plastic," she said.
"After the presentation, we gave them white T-shirts and asked them to express their solutions to these environmental challenges through art. Plastic pollution is a huge challenge worldwide and Suriname is no exception. The youth need more awareness. We also planted trees with them - Moringa and Neem trees.
"You can't imagine how green the country is. The tribes didn't have much knowledge about the harmful effects of plastic, but they do keep their surroundings clean. Our presentation actually helped them to come up with simple solutions.
"The children enjoyed the art workshop and the tree planting. Their simplicity and the urge to do something for the planet really touched our hearts."
Objective of green trip
"The objective was to spread awareness about Suriname's unique position as the only country in the world with 93 per cent forest cover and the important role of the country's children and youth in taking care of their environment for future generations," said Basu.
"Climate change is the harshest reality of our times and it is regrettable that some people still shrug it off as a myth. On the other hand, this visit to Suriname was an eye-opener on how a small nation was combining economic progress with natural conservation efforts to protect its forest cover.
"Green Hope was indeed privileged that they were chosen as ambassadors to engage the local youth in conveying the importance of protecting their rich biodiversity for generations to come.
"Green Hope will now work to share Suriname's conservation efforts globally and urge other nations to pledge to increase their forest cover."
Basu said the team spent 12 days in total in Suriname, as well as travelling in the Amazon rainforest, spreading their eco-friendly message. They also held the 'Youth Awareness Conference for a Sustainable Suriname', which was attended by 350 local youth.
KT NANO EDIT
Of mutual benefit
A country with 93 per cent forest cover may not need advice on how to protect trees. But as the Green Hope team found, the indigenous people of Suriname did not know much about harmful effects of plastic. So such expeditions are of mutual benefit as the eco warriors would have learnt much from the tribes as well.
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com
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