Youth Voices from Delta on Climate Change

EGYouth4Climate Caravan stops at Damanhour to listen to its youth

Dalia Younis
EGYouth4Climate Caravan stops at Damanhour to listen to its youth
UNICEF/Egypt 2022/Mohamed Ragaa
01 November 2022

Starting its journey from the heart of Cairo, EGYouth4Climate Caravan has been roaming different governorates to raise awareness and give voice for youth on climate change.

The caravan was launched on the 4th of September by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Environment, and with the support of UNICEF, the United Nations in Egypt, USAID and the Embassy of Switzerland in Egypt.

Weeks ahead of its final stop in Sharm El-Sheikh to attend COP27, the caravan stopped at Damanhour in Delta. It was welcomed by a group of young people who participate in “Environment and Climate” clubs, an initiative led by the Ministry of Youth and Sports to engage youth in climate action and awareness raising across the country.

In this photo essay, we highlight some of their views on climate change and the importance of youth engagement to fight it.

EGYouth4Climate Caravan stops at Damanhour to listen to its youth
UNICEF/Egypt 2022/Mohamed Ragaa Sama, 16 years old, says: “Our main objective at the Environment & Climate club to educate people and share activities with them to raise awareness on their environment and how to preserve it. I feel many people have no idea how climate is deeply linked to their lives. That’s why I feel advocacy is important.”
EGYouth4Climate Caravan stops at Damanhour to listen to its youth
UNICEF/Egypt 2022/Mohamed Ragaa "We are not able to change change the damage that has already happened much, but we can minimize it. Global warming, the ozone hole and the melting of the ice in the Arctic already happened, but during the pandemic, we stopped the cars and factories which reduced climate change. We need to know the simplest needs that harm the environment, such as perfumes and cigarettes, and start to change our behaviours." Mohammed, 17 years old.
EGYouth4Climate Caravan stops at Damanhour to listen to its youth
UNICEF/Egypt 2022/Mohamed Ragaa Abeer, 25 years, is more inclined to art in advocacy against climate change. She organizes waste recycling workshops to make different products. Abeer is also interested in painting murals that draw attention to environmental issues.
EGYouth4Climate Caravan stops at Damanhour to listen to its youth
UNICEF/Egypt 2022/Mohamed Ragaa Mohammed, 18, is interested in beach clean-up initiatives and the problem of burning rice straw, which he sees as his governorate’s biggest environment-damaging problem