(Photo: 964media)
'Imam Hussein Charitable Campaign'
Volunteer-driven tree-planting campaign transforms Al-Majar Al-Kabir in Maysan
MAYSAN — A volunteer-led tree-planting initiative has dramatically transformed the landscape of Al-Majar Al-Kabir in Maysan Governorate over the past five years, with more than 2,000 trees planted along 23 streets. The campaign, known as the “Imam Hussein Charitable Campaign,” was launched in 2020.
Speaking to 964media, Mohammed Shaham, the campaign’s leader, said, “In September 21, 2020, five years ago, we started the idea of greening Al-Majar Al-Kabir district with an initiative from the district’s volunteers under the name of the Imam Hussein Charitable Campaign.”
Shaham noted that cooperation with local authorities began early in the campaign. “We previously met with the director of Al-Majar municipality, who expressed his support for the campaign, and joint efforts began on that date with planning from the campaign’s engineers and the officials of Al-Majar Al-Kabir municipality.”
He added that the campaign has now extended its reach to cover about 23 streets. Following this, the municipality initiated the establishment of a city nursery to ensure self-sufficient production of trees. Two planting campaigns are held each year—during the spring and autumn seasons—with the next event scheduled in two weeks.
Mustafa Khalaf, head of the district’s parks department, explained, “For us, we have two planting seasons a year, the spring season and the autumn season, and the trees we plant are produced by the municipal nursery.”
Khalaf also highlighted the campaign’s impact on local urban planting efforts: “The Imam Hussein Charitable Campaign, supervised by Mr. Mohammed Shaham, has supported all greening efforts, in addition to the community police, who also contributed this year.” He emphasized the direct engagement with citizens, adding, “Planting campaigns have direct engagement with the citizens, and when people saw this work, they turned towards planting.” Khalaf pointed out that the municipality’s initiative to provide free seedlings to residents has further encouraged community participation, stating, “We provided citizens with seedlings free of charge, which encouraged them to plant.”
Amid rising temperatures and reduced rainfall driven by climate change—a challenge that has increased droughts and water shortages in Iraq—the campaign’s efforts to green urban spaces come at a critical time. The United Nations has listed Iraq among the five countries most at risk from specific climate change impacts.