Ismaili community leads Coco Beach clean-up

DAR ES SALAAM: MEMBERS of the Ismaili community in Tanzania have joined global efforts to protect the environment by leading volunteers and partner organisations in cleaning Coco Beach in Dar es Salaam as part of the Global Ismaili CIVIC Day (GICD).

Tanzania chapter of the Ismaili CIVIC, is a global programme of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim community.

The initiative at the Coco Beach was part of similar environmental activities conducted worldwide to promote community service, environmental protection and cooperation among people of different faiths and backgrounds.

Speaking during the exercise recently, President of the Shia Imami Ismaili National Council for Tanzania, Mr Kamal Khimji, said the initiative demonstrated how collective action could address environmental challenges and improve people’s quality of life.

“Through collective action, GICD continues to highlight the power of service in addressing local and global challenges as well as improving the quality of life of all individuals,” he said.

National Director of Ismaili CIVIC Tanzania, Mr Alykhan Dhanani said the global programme had mobilised more than 250,000 volunteers who had participated in over 5,500 activities in collaboration with nearly 1,500 external partners.

Furthermore, he said the initiative has supported the planting of more than 4.5 million trees and the collection of over 213,000 kilogrammes of waste worldwide.

Mr Dhanani said the collected waste can also be recycled and reused through upcycling, helping reduce pollution and promote responsible waste management.

“Today we gathered not just to clean the beach,” Mr Dhanani said, emphasising the wider goal of promoting responsible waste management through recycling and reuse.

Ismaili community’s Vice-President Mr Nazir Thawer said the exercise reflected the global vision of Prince Rahim Aga Khan V which places people’s wellbeing and environmental health at the centre of sustainable development.

For his part, Chairman of the Ismaili Eastern Committee, Mr Hussein Somji said the community was also taking steps to reduce its environmental footprint by limiting the use of air conditioners in its offices and mosque, adopting solar energy and encouraging members to become more aware of climate change.

Meanwhile, Aga Khan Youth’s Board Chair Mr Hanif Bandali said the community has banned the use of plastics and was taking steps towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Since its establishment in 2021, Global Ismaili CIVIC Day has encouraged community members to work with other organisations to improve living conditions and strengthen relationships with the wider society.

The Aga Khan Development Network and the Aga Khan Foundation support initiatives in education, healthcare, environmental conservation, climate resilience and economic development.

The exercise held recently under the theme “One Purpose, One Community,” brought together the Ismaili CIVIC Tanzania, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and Tanzanian non-governmental organisation Africraft.

The clean-up event at the Coco Beach, highlighted the importance of individual and collective responsibility in keeping public spaces clean and protecting the environment for present and future generations.