Environmental protection & awareness project proposal - Community outreach in rural Saudi Arabia

Environmental protection

& awareness

project proposal

Community outreach in rural

Saudi Arabia

June, 2015 © Henry Badenhorst B Ed (Hons) EMLP University of Pretoria2

© Henry Badenhorst B Ed (Hons) EMLP University of Pretoria

3 June, 2015

Introduction• There is a necessity to teach values & human rights at

schools.• Every school community has certain needs.• In our “school” or rather college community there are

environmental issues that affect our community members.

• The community need is a clean environment to ensure and promote sustainable development.

• The college students can and should be given an opportunity to address this community need by participating in a clean up project.

• There are benefits for all stakeholders:i. Students are taught the importance of values and rights for all members.ii. The community benefit by these efforts by being able to live in a safe

and healthy environment.iii. ESG Saudi Arabia body corporate improve profits and PR



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Aims & Objectives1. Important concepts2. Importance of the outreach project.3. Chosen outreach (Problem)4. Link between caring for others and a clean environment5. Benefits of the outreach to the community. 6. Benefits to the education of the learners.7. Description of problem as a value, human rights or

democracy issue8. Reality of Saudi Arabia9. SWOT analysis10.Intervention strategy/proposal11.Involvement

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ConceptsValues & Human Rights

ValuesBeliefs, attitudes or feelings that: an individual is proud of is willing to publicly affirm has been chosen thoughtfully from alternatives

without persuasionis acted on repeatedly •(Raths et al, in Halstead & Taylor, 1996: 5). June, 2015 © Henry Badenhorst B Ed (Hons) EMLP University of Pretoria7

Values•Values serve as beacons guiding us through the seas of human existence.

(Beckmann & Prinsloo, 2014: 11).•Values = things desirable and worth striving for. ‘Things’ include people, objects or ideas that we

attach value to. These values serve as drivers of our behavior.

(Beckmann & Prinsloo, 2014: 42).


Human Rights• Human right = is a legal claim one has by virtue of being human (Beckmann & Prinsloo, 2014: 24)

• Human Rights are characterized by being: i. natural (part of being human); ii. universal (same in each country); iii.equal (the same for all people); and iv.inalienable (cannot be handed over to another

person) (Beckmann & Prinsloo, 2014: 58).


Human RightsTwo concepts are relevant:1. Tolerance refers to non-discrimination based

on gender, economic situation, race, ethnicity, age, etc.

2. Agency means that every person, regardless of who they are, has the basic right to act as they wish, with the condition that their action does not interfere with another person’s rights (Kelsey & Peterson, 2003: 4)


Importance Community outreach

Importance• To bring values into the school curriculum is ridiculed by some as an attempt to moralize education.

• To care for others is an important value that should be taught at schools.

• Generation X characterized by self-centeredness, inquisitional attitude & hedonism,

direct result of a ‘value-neutral’ or ‘value free’ curriculum.


Importance• Whether value statements are included in the curriculum or not, value education is still taking place.

• In fact, not including values in the curriculum means that the school relinquishes its say over what values are being taught (Beckmann & Prinsloo, 2014: 66).

• Teaching happiness, empathy, altruism & compassion has proven beneficial results for classroom learning as a whole (Rycroft, 2012: online).


Chosen outreachProblem Description


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Problem• Littering is a huge problem

in the community where college is situated & whole of KSA.

• Littering poses: Environmental threats to the biodiversity in Saudi Arabia.

Health and safety risks to humans.

Health & safety risks to livestock (main source of community income).

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LinkPeople & environment

LinkQuestion: What is the link between a clean environment and care for others?

In other words:• How does cleaning up a community help the members

of that community? • How is care shown to a community by physically

cleaning up that community?


LinkClean environment is essential for:Economic growthSustainable DevelopmentHealthBiodiversitySafety


LinkLack of clean & safe environment: Endangers People’s livelihoods That leads to poverty

Which may lead to: Drug & substance abuse (including alcoholism) Crime Mental illness And eventually the breakdown of the family Increased school drop-out rate & increased gang involvementAnd ultimately overfull prisons


Link• Community with a clean environment prospers

economically & physically, • Happy & productive families are contributors to national

health & wealth.• No direct assistance (e.g. providing food or blankets) • BUT indirect provision of living environment that is

conducive for their health, safety, economic prosperity, and sustainable development.

• Thus, by taking care of a community’s physical environment, we are taking care of them.

• Next slides: Facts & expert discussion regarding the link between a clean environment and community health.


Environment & health• All organisms depend on their environments for energy & the materials needed to sustain life: clean air potable water nutritious foodsafe places to live (Resnik & Portier, 2008:59).

• For most of human history, increases in longevity were due to improved access to these necessities

• Advances in agriculture, sanitation, water treatment, and hygiene have had a positive impact on human health (Resnik & Portier, 2008:59).


Environment & health• Although the environment sustains human life, it can also cause disease (Resnik & Portier, 2008:59).

• Lack of basic necessities is a significant cause of human mortality (Resnik & Portier, 2008:59).

• In 2004, lack of access to safe drinking water was responsible for 1.8 million deaths (mostly small children) from diarrhoea (Resnik & Portier, 2008:59).

• That same year, lack of adequate sanitation caused 160 million people to become infected with schistosomiasis, which can cause malnutrition and organ damage (Resnik & Portier, 2008:59).


Environment & health• Environmental hazards increase the risk of Cancer, Heart disease, Diabetes, Asthma, Chronic obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Obesity, Occupational injuries, Arthritis, Parkinson disease, Malaria, Dysentery, & Depression (Resnik & Portier, 2008:60)

• These hazards can be physical, such as pollution and food contaminants, or they can be social, including dangerous work conditions and poverty (Resnik & Portier, 2008:60).

• Pollution is thus an environmental risk factor for disease (Resnik & Portier, 2008:61).


Conclusion• Littering as a form of pollution.• Littering may lead to disease, malnutrition, injuries & even death to livestock & people.

• Littering adversely affects livelihoods, economic well-being & sustainable development.

• By cleaning up litter and eliminating dangers (closing up an open well), the detrimental consequences of an unclean and unsafe environment are eliminated.

• By taking care of a community’s physical environment, we are taking care of them!


BenefitsCommunity

Benefits• Direct benefactor of a cleaner & safer environment.

• Transference of environmental awareness from students onto community has a ripple effect that will steer the community into taking action themselves.

• Seeing that efforts of some will and can lead to improvements. This will serve as a conductor & motivator for action & change.

• Improved relations between the students and the community will lead to increased collaboration to improve conditions in the community as part of a team.

• Improved respect for others and their living environment.


Benefitsstudents

Benefits• Develops & enforces character. • Build strong relationships.• Research shows that it’s essential to academic success.

• Beneficial results for classroom learning as a whole. • Expansion of the cultural literacy & horizon of students.

• Increases student knowledge & understanding of the community.

• Student participation helps students to become more active members of the community.


South AfricaValues & Human Rights


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Values• SA Constitution is referred to as a value-laden Constitution.

• Constitution spells out the exact values upon which the republic was founded

• Section 1 state that South Africa was founded on the values of:

Human dignity The achievement of equality The advancement of human rights & freedoms Non-racialism and non-sexism

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Manifesto• The authors of the Manifesto on Values, Education and Democracy sought to identify basic values that could be promoted in education.

• They looked at the Constitution and identified ten values underpinning the Constitution that should be promoted in SA education, namely:

DemocracySocial Justice & EquityEquality Non-racism & non-sexism Ubuntu (Human Dignity) An open society Accountability

(responsibility) The Rule of Law Respect Reconciliation


Saudi ArabiaValues & Human Rights

Facts• Saudi Arabia is a

‘constitution-less’ Theocracy• Devoid of a Bill of Rights with

entrenched rights and values, that dictate the actions of people or protecting others.

• Saudi has no constitution containing a Bill of Rights guaranteeing every citizen equal rights.

• There is no rule of law in a Constitutional sense.


Sharia law• Saudi Arabia only uses Sharia law

• It does not have a parallel civil legal code

• Sharia is basically the de facto Constitution of Saudi Arabia

• Sharia guides all aspects of Muslim life, including daily routines, familial & religious obligations & financial dealings.

• It is derived primarily from the Quran and the Sunna—the sayings, practices, & teachings of the Prophet Mohammed


ValuesCommunity Al Quwayiyah, Saudi Arabia Ultra conservative and religious. Mainly a Bedouin population. Not much room for individualism. Group collective determines the values & actions of

individuals. ‘Wasta’ (or influence) based on a man’s clan or tribe,

determines his status in the community.• As an outsider it is extremely difficult to dictate values. • One must be extremely sensitive & careful not to attempt

imposing Western Democratic values & Human Rights.


SWOT analysisESG College – Saudi Arabia


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SWOTA scan of the internal environment focuses on:• Strengths (the things it does right or is good at)• Weaknesses (the things it has to improve)

A scan of the external environment focuses on:• Opportunities (where can the school get support, how could

it serve the community better, etc.)• Threats (factors in the environment that could hinder its

progress, like learners getting drugs in the community, HIV/AIDS in the community, etc.)

(Nieuwenhuis, 2010: 30)

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Strengths• The things the college does right or is good atManagement & teaching staff:

• are on board with the proposed project • have in fact already participated in phases of the project. • motivated & committed

The principal is committed towards school improvement.Excellent facilitiesProper fundingCompany committed to community involvementStudents willing to become involved in extra curricular

activities

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Weaknesses • What are the things at ESG college that are

sub-standard and will have to be improved?• Student attendance always a challenge

(Culture of teaching and learning in Saudi Arabia)• Cultural differences between staff and students• Student’s academic motivation.

Saudi’s study for free, even get a salary to do so. Wasta determines professional/financial success, and NOT qualifications.

• Very little awareness & understanding of environmental protection

• College is a start-up project initiated by the Colleges of Excellence

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Opportunities • Where can ESG college get support & how could it serve the

community better?Body Corporate see this as an opportunity to show the college

not only as an academic institution, geared towards profit making,

But also as an organization who desires to build relationships in the community and making a difference.

Opportunity therefore to show a charitable side of the business and it has already improved the public image of the college and company as a whole.

The desert restoration project I launched and completed, has been posted on company Facebook page for marketing purposes and the enhancement of public relations.

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Opportunities• Community willingness & openness towards community development and improvement.

• Local businesses & local charities could buy into the community project.

• Could place an emphasis on the teachings of Islam, which dictates and encourages community values.

• Could place an emphasis on cultural values and strengths such as hospitality.

• Opportunity to build relationship or ‘wasta’ with students and community, to get their backing.

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ThreatsFactors in the environment that could hinder ESG college’s progress:• Ultra conservative & religious community: isolated from modern ideas and values; fear Western ideas and values cautious to get involved with projects Westerners might deem

important; very little understanding, awareness or background of

environmental issues & protection; considers menial/manual labor beneath them.• No rule of law • No culture of human rights.

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InterventionACTION PLAN


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1. Lessons 1. Conduct lessons on

the position of Islam on waste management & environmental protection, to:

i. Inform that humans & animal rights should be a value worthy to pursue;

ii. Bring across the concept of Sustainable Development;

iii. Teach environmental concepts in English.June, 2015

2. College clean upa. Lessons with students: What is littering? What is Recycling? How to recycle? Distinguishing between &

colour coding different types of waste for recycling purposes

b. Implementation of recycling principles:

Cleaning up the college Separating waste according

to recycling principles for PBL projects.


3. Recycled materials• ESG College in Al Quwayiyah

is a vocational college in Saudi Arabia.

• Project Based Learning (PBL) forms part of the foundation year.

• Recycled materials are used in PBL.

• Collected aluminium cans are used for making practical items:

• e.g. windbreaks & paraffin stoves


4. Posters• Foundation year also

includes the module: English for IT• Students used MS Office tools and created:

anti-littering & pro-recycling posters Advertisement for BBQ

& Desert clean-up project event


5. Desert clean-up projectDesert restoration &

clean-up project• Project involved: Closing a dilapidated open well/reservoir that posed a danger to picnic goers and farm animals.

Cleaning up & safely discarding waste and litter in an area frequented by Saudi picnic goers.

Treating the students who participated in the clean-up with pizza.


InvolvementReasons

Reasons Benefits the company: It may serve as a marketing tool

in student recruitment, giving ESG very good exposure.

Benefits the curriculum: Caring for the environment may be utilized as a theme for PBL, ESL & English for IT.

Benefits relationships: Create & improve relationships between the community & the college

Benefits students & the community: Improves the student’s academic success, while at the same time benefitting the community.

Involvement leads to taking ownership of one’s own progress & development.

Conclusion ESG College has unique strengths & faces unique challenges

due to its location in Saudi Arabia. Pioneering such a project in rural Saudi Arabia has delivered

some interesting results. Values and Human Rights in the traditional Western sense,

such as in the South African context with a Human Rights framework, does not exist.

Traditions, culture and religion do dictate certain values. However, environmental protection is a newly introduced

concept. Explaining Sustainable Development from a profit making

perspective has delivered positive results to conserve and protect the environment.

The five step intervention strategy I introduced to address littering in the community has delivered positive outcomes for all stakeholders.
