Based in Cairo, the Egyptian foundation BENAA aims to build youth’s capacities through sustainable projects in Egypt and the MENA region. With their motto ‘Building Capacities, Building Communities’, their work focuses on raising awareness and engaging the community in their activities. In 2020, they led a project building an eco-classroom with plastic bottles as building blocks and clay for thermal insulation, as a hub of unconventional learning, taking part in the ‘Trash Hack Campaign’ organized by UNESCO and a team of ESD youth leaders.
The Foundation’s co-founder Rasha Emad Eldin explains they were facing severe challenges starting the project. From the collection of sufficient plastic bottles as the base of the project, to understanding the durability and long-term effects of using bottles in construction, to the scarcity of references for building with solid waste in Egypt. “We knew we had a long journey ahead to bring this eco-classroom to life,” she says. “However, from its inception, the project was designed to deeply integrate with the community and draw upon the inherent wisdom of native people.”
In a small residential area surrounding agricultural land called Ezbet Eshaq in El-Fayoum, Egypt, the BENAA team worked with a welcoming community to start building their project. "The people of Ezbet Eshaq welcomed us warmly, seeing our project as an opportunity to improve the education of their children, learn and protect the environment together," reflects Rasha.
The community, especially the children, took active roles in the process, from innovative approaches to filling plastic bottles with sand to leading tours for visitors. BENAA launched a campaign encouraging architecture students to volunteer in constructing the building. 'We envisioned bringing both urban and rural communities together to foster knowledge exchange and teach the new generations of architects about eco-friendly building techniques using solid and natural waste,' says Rasha.
Reimagining learning spaces
The eco-classroom turned into an open learning space for outdoor classes and a playground with swings and a tire wall entirely made from solid waste materials.
They were able to address the challenges they faced in the beginning relying on the knowledge of the community. In order to address concerns about the durability of the plastic bottles, the community helped with their knowledge to source the clay which was used to insulate the walls made of bottles.
Islam Abo El Dardaa, architect and the project manager at BENAA states: “The community, has been instrumental in connecting us with locals and helping us procure the materials needed to continue building. 'It took us a while to gain their trust, but sharing the common goal of providing children with proper education expedited the process.”
For the BENAA Foundation, the story of the eco-classroom is one of growth, hope, and community empowerment. Despite initially lacking proper resources and support at the beginning of the project, this challenge only propelled the team further. Now, they have become a resource themselves, dedicated to educating the people to shape a more sustainable and eco-friendly future.
The meaningful participation of young people and the community in this local project in Egypt results in a deeper understanding of the relationship between various ESD approaches such as empowering youth, transforming learning environments and involving local actors. Egypt is currently developing its ESD for 2030 country initiative highlighting ESD initiatives aligning with the ambitious objectives laid out in the UNESCO’s ESD for 2030 Roadmap.
As part of its work to strengthen education for sustainable development (ESD), UNESCO is spotlighting the BENAA foundation in Cairo contributing to Egypt’s country initiative.
As part of UNESCO’s efforts to strengthen ESD, the ESD for 2030 Roadmap encourages Member States to implement country initiatives. These aim to mainstream ESD in the Member States while building on existing activities on ESD in five priority action areas 1) Advancing policy; 2) Transforming learning environments; 3) building capacities of educators; 4) Empowering and mobilizing youth; 5) Accelerating local level actions.
