More than 200 youth in Kairouan took part in a week-long clean-up drive in the city, picking up trash and decorating the medina walls, as part of an environmental campaign organized by the USAID Visit Tunisia Activity.
The campaign, from September 11-18, gave the city a facelift ahead of the Mouled Festival in October, which each year draws some 800,000 visitors to celebrate the birth of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.
A mural on the wall of Kairouan’s medina painted during a clean-up campaign organized with USAID Visit Tunisia.The local youth were full of enthusiasm during the week-long campaign, laughing, singing, cheering, and documenting each other as they carried out their activities.
Their positive outlook and environmental activism inspired many locals and tourists, many of whom stopped to take photos or lend a hand themselves. Thanks to the hard-work and commitment of so many participants, including representatives of youth organization Jeune Chamber International (JCI), Kairouan’s Regional Tourism Commission (CRT), and the Tunisian Scouts, the group fully spruced up the medina even earlier than planned.
Members of the Tunisian Scouts help clear trash in the city’s medina.The activity received extensive radio and TV coverage, highlighting the power of community-driven change and youth’s commitment to environmental causes. (Watch one video featuring the campaign, produced by local station Web Maga Kairouan, here.)
USAID Visit Tunisia will continue the campaign with additional activities to engage youth, such a cultural treasure hunt for children, and a tree-planting activity to further beautify the city and better the environment.
By engaging key players in the tourism ecosystem, hand in hand with local communities, USAID Visit Tunisia is helping promote an environmentally conscious approach to tourism and development.
