Green Media Initiative (GMI) conducted an environmental awareness and education visit to Ileys Academy School in Mogadishu, one of the city’s primary, intermediate, and secondary schools with a large student population. The visit forms part of GMI’s wider mission to strengthen environmental literacy and climate awareness among communities across Somalia, with a particular focus on young people.
During the visit, GMI delivered an interactive and child-friendly session focused on environmental protection, waste management, the harmful impacts of plastic pollution and unmanaged waste, and the importance of tree planting as a practical response to environmental degradation and climate change.
In Somalia, environmental responsibility is often overlooked due to prolonged conflict, urban pressure, weak waste systems, and limited public awareness. As a result, issues such as plastic pollution, deforestation, land degradation, and climate-related shocks continue to affect livelihoods, public health, and future generations. GMI believes that long-term environmental protection must start with education, and that schools are critical spaces for shaping values, behavior, and civic responsibility.
The session was led by Hamdi Mohamed Hassan, a GMI team member and an environmental and agricultural production advocate, who actively engaged students from different grade levels gathered at the school theater. Using participatory methods—discussion, questions, and practical examples—she helped students connect environmental challenges to their daily lives and future responsibilities.
The session was also supported by Faduma Mohamud Dirie, an environmental advocate deeply involved in tree-planting initiatives and green education for children. She emphasized the importance of introducing environmental stewardship at an early age so that caring for the environment becomes a lifelong habit rather than a temporary campaign.
Through interactive dialogue, students gained essential knowledge about their role in protecting the environment, reducing waste, maintaining cleanliness, and understanding climate change impacts. They also learned that environmental protection is a shared civic responsibility, involving all generations including children as future leaders, citizens, and decision-makers.
Beyond this school visit, GMI continues to work through media, storytelling, community engagement, and education initiatives to raise awareness of Somalia’s environmental and climate crises. GMI remains committed to promoting early green education as a foundation for climate resilience and sustainable development—nurturing a new generation that understands environmental challenges and is empowered to act on them.
Watch the video below to see how GMI is engaging school children in environmental awareness and stewardship.
