Syrian reforestation efforts receive much needed boost from Ford grants

"It was like a breath of fresh air. Funds are hard to come by for work like this, so when news about the Ford grant came, we were excited. It meant we could continue and possibly enhance the scope of our work," says Hazim, who also is trying to develop a means to convert household waste into energy sources that will hopefully reduce global dependence on burning fossil fuel.

Hazim and Rami began their reforestation work on the arid areas off the coastal mountains in Latakia in 2000. Armed with only a passion for the environment, Hazim and Rami along with a small team of volunteers began planting saplings on balding areas of Latakia's forests, which have deteriorated in foliage following years of abuse and has since become vulnerable to forest fires.

"We were aiming for the arid areas because the balance in the eco-system had to be restored somehow. Latakia's mountains support such a rich biodiversity of life, and so it would be a big loss to just let the forest die," explains Rami.

Their commitment to saving Latakia's sorry environmental condition, has started to galvanize a growing number of heroes within the community. Last summer alone, 35 students participated from four villages and 50 more are expected to volunteer for the remainder of 2007. Volunteers have reached 300 since the inception of the re-forestation project and keeps on increasing.

This year, Rami hopes to attract more students with incentives from the Ford grant. "Being able to help the environment is of course the biggest reward. But we also need to be practical, if we are to continue what we have started. The Ford grant will go a long way in ensuring we have not only enough trees to plant, but also enough people to keep the programme going," he adds.

According to Hazim, their work involves restoring the arid portions of the mountains, as well as preserving the areas where there are enough trees so they can catch up with years of wasteful environmental neglect. "That is why we have always maintained that the work we do involves two types of planting. One is direct planting, which involves the physical planting of seeds into designated areas. The other is indirect planting, which is about raising the public's awareness about environmental issues; and, more specifically, how the reforestation project could benefit them and future generations in their community," Hazim continues.

By involving both direct and indirect planting, in addition to various social activities, the programme is seen to instill a long-term interest in planting and protecting the environment. It also encourages the local community to participate more regularly in such activities.

In addition to their reforestation efforts, Hazim and Rami have also been deeply involved for sometime in the fight against garbage pollution. In the future, they hope to organise a campaign that will help clean up the coastal areas of Latakia.

"This is a life-long commitment, and we are happy that there are organisations like Ford who are actively supporting initiatives that will help save the environment. It is a privilege to be able to work on something that will help not only this present generation, but the future as well. We owe our children a clean and healthy planet," echo the two environmental warriors.

This year, Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environment Grants jurors will once again select a new set of winners. Interested applicants can go to the bilingual website www.ford-environmentalgrants.com which provides more information on the 2007 Ford Grants as well as download application forms.

The Ford Grants were introduced in the GCC in 2000, and expanded to include Jordan, Lebanon and Syria in 2001. An independent jury of academics, government officials and environmentalists selects winners, and applications this year are accepted until February 14, 2008.

The criteria to enter remain unchanged. The Ford Grants are open to small-scale, non-profit groups and individuals in the GCC and Levant countries with ongoing projects aimed at the natural environment, environmental education, or conservation engineering. Grants have ranged between US$1,000 and US$15,000, and more than 75 projects have received funding since 2000. A total of USD600,000 has been given as grants since its inception in the region.

There were 13 winners last year representing Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Syria, Qatar and Bahrain. The Grants jurors in 2007 will once again award cash funds from a total pool of US$90,000.

Hussein Murad, Ford Middle East's Sales & Marketing director, said: "Just like many of our grants recipients, we feel privileged to be doing something for the communities we live and operate in. Globally, Ford Motor Company has actively supported initiatives that will ensure future generations have a clean environment in which to live their lives. We're taking it one small step at a time, but we want to make it known we're committed to this journey every step of the way."