In the spirit of innovation and social responsibility, a group out of the SEKEM community started one of the ECO GAMER projects evolving around the recycling of waste and utilizing space. Inspired by the Greening the Desert Project, the group chose an unused, empty area in front of the school to plant seedlings of mahogany, basil and thyme, and also to recycle the wood waste from the carpentry workshop of the Vocational Training Center, mixed with palm leaves in order to make recycled paper cups to place seeds for feeding birds. This project was named “Yalla Nekhadarha” (let’s make it green), promoting ecological harmony.
Another project example is cultural themed. The school teachers started by assessing the community’s cultural engagement and decided to renovate the teachers’ break lounge and to create a calendar to plan celebrations of each other’s birthdays. The renovation took place, the responsibilities were shared and the results were outstanding. The walls were repainted, the students’ artwork decorated the room and the calendar was set up. This group activity helped not only to create a more beautiful environment for the team, but also powered the bonds between the school’s community members.
And finally, the economic group in cooperation with iSiS Organic, SEKEM’s subsidiary company, prepared healthy organic meals served in the cafeteria under the name ‘Organic market’.
ECO GAMER and the Global Ecovillage Network
The ECO GAMER project is inaugurated by the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) and aims to spread, teach and highlight ecovillage lifestyles around the world in order to show their relevance on regeneration and sustainable development in wider frameworks. It shall provide the GEN with relevant data for understanding its strengths and growing edges; on the community level, the project works to showcase and celebrate the impact and activities of community led place-based initiatives, using an ecovillage framework and relating to the SDGs.
The consortium is made up of 5 partner organizations: GEN – the coordinating partner – based in Scotland, three from GEN Europe (Spain, Italy and Portugal) and GEN Egypt represented by the SEKEM Development Foundation.
SEKEM’s individuals continue to carry and advocate for SEKEM’s vision goals, with a true sense of social, economic, ecological and cultural responsibility towards the community.
The ECO GAMER team
SEKEM at the Annual GEN Africa Regional Conference
“Without Intact Nature, There Is No Intact Society”
Creativity and Entrepreneurship Program