Youth group shines in Umerkot

Environmental pollution is a problem that the citizens of Umerkot have long since been plagued with. Shine Active Youth Group decided that enough was enough. They started a social action project to spread awareness about the dangers of living in a polluted atmosphere and to take steps to minimize environmental pollution. They concentrated mainly on the lack of green spaces in the city, and inadequate sanitation facilities.

Since Umerkot has a very high illiteracy rate, the group members made a conscious effort to personally interact with the members of the community as much as possible, and to explain their cause to them and the dangers of living in a polluted environment. Shine Active Youth Group held meetings with community members to get the message about their cause across and to gather more support for it. They also distributed pamphlets in an effort to reach out to people whom they did not get a chance to meet.

The group also presented their idea for planting more trees and plants to local and international NGOs, and were provided with plants and saplings by them. About a hundred plants and saplings were planted – mostly in girls’ schools which lacked greenery by members of the group. Two community members with entrepreneurial leanings were also talked into starting a nursery in the city with their personal funds.

The group members also reached out to the women of the community and made an effort to educate them about disposing of trash in a safe and sanitary manner, and not out in the open in their street.

The Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) was also approached, and the group successfully campaigned for the removal of five rubbish heaps from the city limits. The issue of two blocked drainage pipes was also successfully resolved. The TMA was also persuaded to place rubbish bins at specific locations from where the city dump trucks could collect the waste and dispose of it properly.