Looking through the glass and seeing the less green view, Dina remembered her days in Malaysia and how it used to be so green everywhere. There is no doubt that we need more green areas and more trees. Realizing that someone had to do something about this, she decided to plant trees on her birthday as a way to give back and all she needed was to reach out to the right people. “We live in concrete forests, but instead of complaining I wanted to do something about it”, says Dina. Dina Amin, a designer, and animator, immediately called “Shagarha” an initiative that aims to plant fruitful trees across Egypt. “I believe that if any individual wishes to make changes, they can reach out to initiatives. You don’t have to start an organization to make an impact,” she adds.
On the other side of Egypt, lies a village in Fayoum, an underdeveloped village with locals who wish to grow their own trees, but they lack the resources and the proper know-how.
One day, Shagarha team along with Dina Amin showed up at “Al Jabal Village” in Itsa, Fayoum and they started planting. The trees were provided by Shagarha and the containers were built by Amin. They planted lemon trees, olive trees, and others as well. Their goal was to help the underdeveloped village in two ways, first to have more trees and more green areas, and second financially as the locals will be able to sell these fruits later on. “We always involve people in the planting process, we teach them how to plant trees and take care of them instead of just planting trees for them,” Says Omar El Deeb, the founder of Shagarha.
Shagarha has been planting fruitful trees in Egypt since 2016. They raise awareness about the topic by conducting workshops and info sessions to the public. They help people and companies to plant their rooftops, they go to schools and they plant trees all over Egypt. They believe planting a fruitful tree can change someone’s life and planting hundreds of trees will have a huge positive impact on society and the environment. If you ever feel like planting a tree, you can check their facebook page Shagarha as they always announce events where you can participate in planting activities and much more.