Seeds of Hope promotes going green in Cairo suburbs

To commemorate the 16th annual Community Partnership Day on 26 April, almost 400 Novartis Egypt employees put on gardening gloves as they set out to plant 150 trees using sustainable agriculture techniques.

The event aimed to promote a brighter future for the environment and society by introducing to many people the importance of urban farming as a sustainable tool for healthy urban living.

The theme of the event was Seeds of Hope. Nawaya, a non-profit organidation promoting sustainable agriculture and the Right to Live Association for the Intellectually Disabled (RTLA), an Egyptian organisation providing care and training to persons with intellectual disabilities collaborated to help put on the event.

Seeds of Hope follows, International Earth Day, offering a great opportunity to reflect on the impact we each have on our planet, said Dr Salah El-Sharkawy, Novartis vice president and spokesperson.

“Planting trees in celebration of Earth Day represents our commitment to providing a safe, healthy and sustainable environment for all those who live and visit our wonderful city,” said Dr El-Sharkawy.

Volunteers and employees sweated during the event to plant nearly 150 fruit trees in RTLA’s communal gardens in Heliopolis.

The team also engaged the surrounding community in planting and helped raise awareness on the benefits of going green and understanding the importance of maintaining the newly-planted locations.