Working together for a greener environment
UNICEF empowers young people in Tajikistan to mobilise their peers and local government to protect the environment.
"It was on one of my trips to the many magnificent mountains in our beautiful country. When it was time to get back into the car, I felt tired after my long walk and so I decided to throw my leftover rubbish onto the ground.. As I did so, my eyes fell on a sign that said, ’Thank you for keeping the area clean’. That phrase really bothered me, and I felt very bad about what I had just done”.
Safialloh Sharifzoda, 18, from Kulob city is a first-year student at the National University in Dushanbe. He is studying law. In 2021, while still at school, Safialloh Sharifzoda became a participant in the ‘Adolescents-Partners for Sustainable Development’ project, part of a wider UNICEF and Committee for Youth and Sports Affairs at the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan programme – dedicated to promoting meaningful youth participation in decision-making. Through this project, UNICEF equips young people with the necessary skills to identify local problems, analyse them, find solutions, create social projects, and then present them to the local authorities in order to find shared solutions together.
When it came time to identify a local problem, Safialloh's mind flashed back to his recent trip. He decided to channel his energies into an environmental project. His first action was to identify the most problematic places in his city where rubbish accumulates.
"After I conceptualized my idea, I presented it to the local Centre for Youth Affairs. My project was selected by the local government as one of the winning entries".
Over the course of a month and with the help of the local Center for Youth Affairs, Safialloh mobilised a group of 40-50 young volunteers to clean up the worst-affected public spaces using special waste disposal bins. Safialloh's project was so well received by the local Centre for Youth Affairs that they decided to continue it and make it part of the centre’s action plan for volunteers. Today young volunteers organise regular clean-up days, continuing what Safialloh started two years ago.
"With the help of UNICEF, I developed the skills to negotiate with people, to make a good persuasive argument, to identify problems and ways of solution, but most importantly, I was able to help and contribute to the protection of the environment. And today, the feeling that I have been able to contribute to the development of my community gives me the motivation to continue growing".
Currently, Safiolloh as a member of Young People Advisory Group at UNICEF Tajikistan eagerly shares his experience with his peers. And after moving to Dushanbe, he continued his clean-up activism together with his friends.