On the evening of 4th of March 2016, Al-Khair Foundation delivered a workshop on ‘Islam and the environment’ for 11-17 year old girls at the Jannah Youth Club at the West London Islamic Centre. The talk explained how young Muslims can fulfil their duty as a Khalifah (steward) by protecting the environment through reusing, reducing waste and recycling. The talk answered the following questions: Why is protecting the environment important in Islam?, What is climate change and how does is it lead to poverty and injustice?, and what could we do about it?

The talk also emphasised how simple everyday actions fit into the bigger picture in reducing the impact of climate change and tackling global poverty. The talk also referenced Al-Khair Foundations’ recent environmental and sustainable projects, such as the ‘Litre of light’ project and ‘Solar lights distribution’ in Kenya, and the ‘Organic Islamic farming project’ in Somaliland (in partnership with Global One). Furthermore, MADE’s Green up and Educational tool kits were referenced to inspire the youth club’s interest and involvement in future activities to tackle climate change and poverty.

After the talk, the activity commenced- where girls were shown how to upcycle old and torn plastic bags by creating braided bracelets out of them.

Alhumdulilah, Al-Khair Foundation would like to thank the Jannah Youth Club for allowing us to host this talk and workshop, and we look forward to arranging future environmental workshops and initiatives.