DESERT CLEAN UPS FOR FOOD

Clean-ups for Food emerged due to the worldwide corona crisis and is therefore our latest project which supports 3 good causes!

With the arrival of the c-virus in the world, tourism worldwide stopped at once in March 2020.
Also to the Bedouins and the Camels in South Sinai and just when at the end of 2019 tourism finally started again after many years.

After the foundation succeeded in Dahab to guarantee everything for 15 Camels until Oct 2020 the foundation started in the Netherlands a months-long, successful Food Campaign for the Bedouin families of all Camels supported by the foundation. As it felt very strange that everything was secured for the Camels but that the families were entering a more than uncertain period, because unlike in the Netherlands there was no government support in Egypt.

Where large parts of the world were burdened by the virus & the measures, the Bedouins and their Camels were not burdened by the virus but by the total loss of all income.

before and after desert clean ups dalel foundation

At the end of summer 2020 it turned out that this crisis in the world would last longer than expected and with the start of the new Desert season the foundation wondered what to do now because Camels have to go out: walk, move and work.

Then the foundation got the bright idea to continue with the Food Campaign, but that after summer we could do something in return for it, namely: Cleaning Up the Desert!

A great Win-Win was born: the Camels finally out again – an income from Food donations for the Bedouin  – and Cleaned Up Parts of the Desert!

And so we were able to do three Desert Clean Ups during the Desert season autumn/winter ’20 – spring ’21: October 2020 – January 2021 – March 2021 of 5, 8 and 9 days!

In December 2020, DesertJoy surprisingly had a Christmas Desert trek by Camel, which was more than welcome because it allowed us to spread the Clean Ups – and therefore income – over the season.

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desert clean up dalel foundation
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Now that we have experienced how necessary the Clean Ups are – on our last Clean Up we cleared no less than 473 kg of garbage! – the foundation decided in April 2021 that the Cleanups for Food will become a permanent part, project!

How we do the Clean Ups

The Clean Ups for Food are great for Camels: for each clean up, it takes several days by camel before we get to the area in question. There we let the Camels graze.

While the adults and younger men clean up by foot, the older Bedouins keep an eye on the grazing camels and prepare lunch for those cleaning up.
So whether we clean up in gorges, not accessible for cars,  or in wide areas, we clean up by foot while the Camels are grazing.

camel wellbeing at clean ups dalel foundation

In narrow gorges, not accessible by motorized transport, camels are needed after cleaning up to saddle up all the waste bags, put at various points, in order to descend together to a point where motorized transport can come again to take the waste to the garbage dump of Dahab after we weighed the garbage.
After which the return journey by camel to Dahab is resumed.

weighing garbage clean up dalel foundation.org
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truck loaded clean up dalel foundation.org

Cleaning Up for Food always takes place in the Desert Season = from October to April. Before and after it is too hot.

DesertJoy always plans 8 to 10 Desert-Camel Treks per season: if a Trek date has no participants, we’re going – when enough donations – to do….a Clean Up for Food!

So Your Donation Is More Than Welcome, you then support 3 good causes: Income for the Bedouins – The Camels have their much-needed exercise in their Natural Habitat – and Desert Nature is cleaning up!

ARE YOU IN?

clean up team dalel foundation.org

THANK YOU SO MUCH!