Sustainable Development Changemaker - Sinai, Egypt

About Habiba Community

Habiba Community is committed to transforming the lives of local Bedouin communities through promoting sustainable agriculture and permaculture. We do this by empowering the Bedouin we employ to experiment with organic farming, helping them to not only grow their own produce, but to conduct their own research into how best to make use of the resources around us. We also run programs for the economic and educational empowerment of women who have more restrictions on their lives. Our goal at the farm is to help the local Bedouin leave and create their own farms, thus creating employment, food security and a sense of commitment to the future of our shared environment. Our goal through the women empowerment program is to provide opportunities for the Bedouin women to improve their lives. Habiba aspires to set a successful example to be followed by locals across the Sinai Peninsula.

Habiba Community is based in Nuweiba, South Sinai with the Sinai Mountains on one side and sandy beaches with turquoise waters on the other. The farm is based on a plot of what was empty desert, and has transformed it into a production hub of locally grown organic vegetables, as well as a center for research in sustainable desert agriculture. We are a center for research and regularly collaborate and conduct knowledge transfer with the Desert Research Center as well agricultural research facilities around the world.

Habiba also aims to promote the importance of conservation. We teach the local communities the benefits of organic farming practices, showing that it not only benefits the individuals who consume the produce, but also the environment as a whole.

Habiba welcomes volunteers, students conducting research, and experts. This page is focused on volunteer opportunities. If you are a student looking for a friendly environment for agricultural research, or an expert who wishes to share your knowledge via speeches and workshops, please contact us via our website. We’d love to have you.

Volunteering at the Organic Farm

The goal of this project is to help Bedouin organic farmers with their research and experimental farming projects. You will help them discover new desert agricultural techniques and exchange cultural experiences.

This is a unique opportunity for you to work with the Bedouin side-by-side, for you to learn to see the world through their eyes, and to give them a chance to do the same with you.

By participating in this project you will be empowering local Bedouin to create their own food security in an uncertain world, as well as to teach them not only to farm in the desert, but to conduct desert farming research to continue innovating on their own. Our metric for success is when one of our farmers can leave to create their own experimental farm elsewhere in the desert.

The recreational activities available in the Red Sea and the neighboring mountains and valleys are endless and breathtaking. The coast is dotted with popular snorkeling and diving sites, and nearby cities of Taba and Dahab offer many tourist activities. Weekly excursions to Dahab offer an opportunity to enjoy the "city" scene and easy transportation is available to Sharm el Sheikh, St Catherine, Cairo, and many other locations in Egypt.

Training

You will spend a few days at Habiba Organic Farm learning desert farming, water management techniques and waste management in order to be able to train the Bedouin community.

What should I bring?

Sun protection including lightweight clothing to cover your head, neck and shoulders, mosquito repellant, sturdy shoes, work gloves, beach gear, and a sense of adventure. Most of the above is available in shops around Dahab and Nuweiba, but its preferable to buy your quality shoes and cargo gear before arriving. Winter gets chilly, even in Sinai, especially in January and February, so bring warm clothes for the evenings.

After work, the afternoons are for you to relax at the beachside area. Dinner is served at 7pm, and usually is vegetarian, home-style food, made entirely with produce from the organic farm. Most people will never have tasted vegetables like these!