Profiles - Meet the inspiring change makers

“As soon as I heard the word culture, I knew I wanted to participate in this contest, and I knew that it would be about the casbah,” recounts Inès Nayli, an Algerian journalist and content creator who partnered with filmmaker Zac HT to produce “Mon Patrimoine, Ma Culture”.

SHABAP is a start-up working towards energy and water efficiency in Palestinian buildings, as a way to improve quality of life and encourage local action against climate change. The start-up seeks to promote green entrepreneurship and dynamise the local economy.

Global Opportunities is Algeria’s pioneer platform in academic education and self-development for youth. Through easy-to-reach information, guidance and skill building services, the website offers students and young graduates an equal access to scholarships, internships and work-related opportunities at no or low cost.

Ahmad Mohsen documents his life experiences through a travel and food blog, which he views as a legacy for his and his children’s future. He also promotes local and inclusive tourism across his home country, Egypt.

10Tooba is an interdisciplinary group of built environment professionals working to improve housing conditions of underprivileged communities across Egypt. Through participatory planning and policy analysis, the company seeks to bring spatial justice, fair housing and meaningful change to Egypt’s rural areas.

Makouk is a trailblazing organisation designing games that are both accessible and conducive to educational purposes. Seeking to bring the fun of play back into people’s lives, the company also provides play-based services and learning experiences for a variety of organisations.

The marine ecological association Barbarous is a local organization led by a majority of divers aiming to raise awareness, act and protect the beautiful islands of the Oranese coast.

Mnjm collects recyclable materials from households and then sells them as raw materials to factories. In this way, the startup aims to demonstrate the real value of the recyclable waste currently languishing in trash cans around Palestine.

Plasticycle Algerie gathers tonnes of bottles and acts as an intermediary between plastic goods wholesalers and industrial manufacturing facilities.The startup also organises awareness-raising events, which resonate with a growing number of citizens who believe the circular economic model.

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Barbecha is a second-hand clothes site devoted to eco-conscious fashion lovers. The platform also offers tips and advice on how to act together for more responsible consumption.

Tripntap is a website and mobile application that link outdoor activity seekers with trip organisers to promote adventure tourism. Tripntap also seeks to build a community of young nature lovers to take action against climate change.

Bustan Aquaponics is the first commercial aquaponics farm established in Egypt. Its pesticide-free products are grown in a locally developed and ecologically balanced system using 90% less water than traditional farming practices.

“The path to success is made of a lot of hard work amidst all the challenges.” This is the harsh reality that Fatima Mahmoud, a 25-year-old Syrian, has come to realise at a very early age.

Throughout her life, Fatima Zahra Beraich never departed from the idea that entrepreneurship can do good. Convinced that innovation is the answer to all problems, she managed to combine her two passions through her doctoral research, by creating a R&D based company specialised in the construction and installation of biogas and composting plants. 

Palestinian Heritage Trail is community-based tourism alongside a trail that extends from the north of Jenin to south of Hebron. The trail spans 330 kilometers and passes through 53 cities and villages where travelers can experience authentic Palestinian hospitality.

Live Love Recycle is the first Lebanese mobile application connecting people keen to sort their waste and to recycle. With just one click a driver on an e-bike will come retrieve the bag of recyclable waste and swiftly deliver it back to the closest appropriate facility.

Hadeel Anabtawi offers accessible, interactive STEM learning experiences to young boys and girls from the MENA region through her social entreprise The Alchemist Lab, focusing on building the skills needed for tomorrow. 

Hend Ksiaa is the founder of "Sourire aux Anges", a natural care and hygiene brand for babies and children that offers healthy, affordable and natural products to Tunisian mothers.

Ibtihal AlShami developed KAAD, a substance reducing the resistance of the earth to allow for electric grounding of buildings. Locally produced, KAAD is an innovative way to ensure sustainable construction amidst Libya’s natural challenges.

WashyWash is a company that is set out to change how people clean their clothes globally, by replacing the outdated PERC dry-clean system with our EcoClean technology, giving people the best laundry experience with zero health risks. 

M2M company innovates with sensors providing energy usage data when fitted to machines. This allows manufacturers to gain a clear picture of how to reduce their energy consumption, increasing their environmental awareness while helping them make substantial savings.

Thirst Republic is an immersive photodocumentary project shedding light on the issue of water scarcity in Tunisia. Combining technology and art in an interactive display, the project seeks to initiate a dialogue about environmental challenges and encourage people to take action.

Robinson Agri is a cutting-edge hub of smart agriculture and sustainable innovation led by two Lebanese sisters, who seek to improve the entire food value chain, starting from the producer all the way up to the consumer. 

Chanouf Farm-Biofire is a farm that has created an agro-forestry waste recycling unit. By promoting biomass waste, it manufactures fuel briquettes; an environmentally friendly alternative to the use of firewood, one of the major contributors to deforestation.

Hand Over is a design and build company, specialized in delivering environment-friendly and cost effective building solutions using earth construction techniques.

Go Energyless Solutions is an environmental startup that markets “Fresh’it”, a refrigerator that works without electricity, keeping food safe and good to eat for up to 15 days, even in the desert.

SOUGHT is a sustainable distribution company. The startup supplies environmentally friendly products and services that replace demand for non-green ones and covers the following categories: home & personal care for an Eco bathroom and kitchen.

Ruby Naif is a researcher, anthropologist and journalist using media to promote behavioural change in the MENA region. Passionate about human nature, she pushes for greater gender equality and human rights protection as the pathway towards positive change.

Safia Ltaif conducts field research in her native Libya to unveil the realities of the occupation and post-independence era. Informed by oral tradition and elders’ interviews, her artistic productions aim to fill the gaps in national archives and create an ethnographic record of the past.

Through her blog and Instagram page, Sara Akkari sparks conversations about socio-political issues in Lebanon and advocates for individual and collective behavioural changes. By raising awareness of people’s rights, she seeks to reignite Lebanese people’s hope for a brighter tomorrow.

The Gadara spinner game is an innovative board game based on local history and heritage, which aims to drive tourists to less-known sites in Jordan. Entirely based on luck, the game sheds light on the hidden treasures of the ancient cradle of civilizations in a playful and educative way. 

The short documentary “Gaza and Idlib” on Thursday evening was awarded as part of the TANDEM Media Awards organised by EU Neighbours South under the theme SPEAK UP CULTURE!

Four school friends took it upon themselves to bring more safety and awareness surrounding fire in Palestine. At only 20 years old, Wasan AlSayed and her friends created ‘Be a Firefighter’, a Virtual Reality educational game spreading awareness on the reduction and prevention of fires.

Wesam Sarhan is a nanotechnology professor who develops innovative medical solutions that respond to real life problems. Produced from locally sourced materials, her inventions help solve some of the shortcomings the region is facing in terms of medical infrastructure.

At the beginning, there was COVID-19. And then, there were Fatima Zahra Jabbour and Wail Bourchabene, two young Moroccan journalists at Hespress wondering “but… how can street performers perform without their streets?!”

Through TANMU, a start-up in the making, Yamina Bouchikh uses of bacteria from household and agrifood waste to create ecological, vegan material like leather. The professor in microbiology promotes a radical change in our production processes to ensure a more sustainable future. 

Eco-dôme is a start-up which constructs ecological dome-shaped houses. The innovation of the eco-domes resides, in particular, in the use of local natural earth, which enables the buildings to guarantee acoustic and thermal insulation, without the need for heating or air-conditioning.

Youssef El Idrissi uses his multi-faceted artistic talents to democratise access to arts and culture. Through a number of grassroots collectives, he strives to promote the right to public spaces and forge social links between and amongst communities.

Dibeen Eco Farm is a guesthouse offering a unique experience to visitors in the midst of nature. Dibeen is also an online marketplace that connecting the consumers to local producers, allowing access to high quality local products while benefiting local economy producers.