Saudi women footballers set their sights on green goals

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The Greens’ squad are using the plastic bottles they collected at the football stadium to create an art work that will highlight the harm plastic does to the planet. (Supplied photo)
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The Greens’ squad are using the plastic bottles they collected at the football stadium to create an art work that will highlight the harm plastic does to the planet. (Supplied photo)
Updated 28 May 2019
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Saudi women footballers set their sights on green goals

  • Eight female players have formed the Greens team to promote environmental causes across the Kingdom
  • The group is led by Rawh Alarfaj, who played football for 12 years

DUBAI: In the natural scheme of things, sports and environment are not easy to combine. But a group of eight Saudi women are attempting just that through their football team, the Greens.

The team’s members want to use their passion for sport to raise environmental awareness and bring about a mindset change across the Kingdom.

The Greens were established by the Saudi Sports for All Federation two months ago — specifically to promote environmental causes. The federation focuses on sports as a social, rather than professional, activity for women, men, adults, children, the elderly and people with special needs.

Leading the Greens is Rawh Alarfaj, 34, who played football for 12 years before deciding to become a coach.

“I am very passionate about sports overall, but my speciality is football and I feel I am good at it,” Alarfaj, who lives in Riyadh, told Arab News. “One of the things that keeps me going is that I am one of the founders of the Challenge Sports Club, which I manage right now.

FASTFACT

 

• The Global Goals World Cup is an alternative sports tournament that creates a community and inspires and engages women from all over the world.

• A one-day football celebration was created for 30 teams in Copenhagen.

• All teams qualify by choosing and creating an action plan on how to work with one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

“We were focused at first only on football. But from the beginning of 2017, we have also had a basketball team for women in Riyadh.”

“We run programs for everyone in society because our goal is to increase the level of public participation in sports in Saudi Arabia from 13 percent in 2015 to 40 percent by 2030, based on a study we did at the federation,” said Alarfaj.

“Today, we’re at 18 percent. The programs focus on all kinds of sports. Just days ago, in the Danish capital Copenhagen, we took part in the Global Goals World Cup, which promotes causes such as environmental ones.”

The tournament, better known as GGWC, frames the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a sport, with 30 teams worldwide competing to create the kind of world they would like to see. Each team creates an action plan with a particular global goal and strives to achieve it in their own country.

For the Greens, the focus was SDG 15: “Life on Land.” “We thought it would be a good global goal to choose right now because the issue has many sides,” Alarfaj said. “Awareness of the state of the environment is a very important topic now. So we organized a number of campaigns across the Kingdom.”

During a male professional football league game in Riyadh, Greens players distributed reusable bags as they educated the crowds about the benefits of using them instead of plastic bags.

After the event, the team — with the help of a number of young Saudis — cleaned up the stadium. They collected plastic bottles for use in building a “plastic art work” — due for completion in June — which highlights the harm they do to the planet.




The Greens promoted their cause at a football match. (Supplied photo)

The environmental protection campaign was not confined to Riyadh alone. A clean-up drive was undertaken by the Greens at a public park in Alkhobar, in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, while awareness talks were held in Jeddah about how plastic harms marine life.

“These campaigns are really important,” Alarfaj said. “A lot of young people volunteered to help us and it’s something that needs to be a part of the culture.”

Such campaigns gain the team points toward their final tournament score. “Global Goals isn’t just about football,” she said. “It’s about the SDGs and how to achieve them through sports, specifically female football. It’s very good to take part in sports for a cause and to have this culture in Saudi Arabia.”

Having taken part in the GGWC this year, the Greens hope to host the tournament in the Kingdom in a couple of years. “To win, you can’t just go out and play,” Alarfaj said. “You have to organize these campaigns and engage society in the goal you choose.

“Sports is the most peaceful activity which people can use to espouse a cause,” she said. “So I recommend that people get more engaged with sport and use it as a tool to spread awareness about different causes.”

Lujain Kashgari, 28, discovered she loved football when she was only 8 years old. She used to play the sport with her relatives as children. 

As she grew older, so did her passion for the beautiful game. “It’s my favorite hobby and biggest passion today,” said Kashgari, who was originally from Jeddah but lives in Alkhobar at present.

“My mission was to come up with an initiative that engaged the people of Eastern Province and also made a big impact on Life on Land through plastic recycling.”

A lot of young people volunteered to help – it’s something that needs to be a part of the culture.

Greens coach Rawh Alarfaj

To this end, Kashgari asked residents and communities to donate 10,000 plastic bottles to a recycling center. She also targeted children by organizing a fun learning day in the Altamimi public park, while teaching others in schools about the importance of recycling through playing a game.

“What I really liked about the GGWC is that it combines sports with humanities and a good cause,” Kashgari told Arab News. “I have learnt a lot about sustainability and simplicity, while enjoying every moment of the football tournament and scoring three goals. It was an amazing opportunity and an unforgettable experience.”

She said many Saudis lack awareness of ways to implement the specific goal of Life on Land.

“When I read about the Life on Land global goal, especially the concept of the three Rs (recycle, reuse and reduce), and looked around, even at myself, I realized that we might have known about it, but we needed a reminder,” Kashgari said.




their clean-up campaigns have attracted the interest of young Saudi volunteers. (Supplied photo)

“Even when we reached out to recycling centers, we found that they don’t really take plastic bottles unless it’s a massive amount. They don’t support communities or individuals, so I realized it’s very important that we do something about it and give it more attention.”

As a football club, the Greens were able to collect plastic bottles over a period of two weeks to recycle them. It also collaborated with five schools and two sports clubs in Alkhobar to collect 100 tons of plastic bottles, utensils and plates — the minimum required for recycling at the center.

According to Alyah Aboalola, a Greens player from Jeddah, more needs to be done for environmental protection in the Kingdom.

“I was focused more on raising awareness about the sea because local residents in Jeddah are into scuba diving as part of their interest in life under water,” Aboalola, 24, said. “There’s a lot of plastic being thrown into the sea, which affects the quality of marine life and coral life.”

Currently involved full time with a sports academy, Aboalola said she was thrilled as a Greens player to have reached the semifinals in Copenhagen.

“I’d like to do this professionally later on,” she said. “When you take part in sports, you build a community and, through it, we can do more for society. I’d like to always keep sports and environmental
causes connected.”


New initiative to plant 60m seeds for sustainability

Updated 43 sec ago
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New initiative to plant 60m seeds for sustainability

  • Center’s CEO, Khaled Al-Abdulkader, outlined the initiative’s goal of dispersing 60 million seeds and cleaning floodplains throughout the governorate
  • Efforts are part of the broader National Greening Season, which aims to increase green spaces and address environmental challenges

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification has launched the Grow Impact initiative in Hafar Al-Batin governorate to encourage community participation in preserving and expanding vegetation cover, while promoting sustainability and environmental awareness.

The center’s CEO, Khaled Al-Abdulkader, outlined the initiative’s goal of dispersing 60 million seeds and cleaning floodplains throughout the governorate.

These efforts are part of the broader National Greening Season, which aims to increase green spaces and address environmental challenges, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Al-Abdulkader described Grow Impact as a key step toward achieving sustainable development goals, restoring ecological balance, and enhancing biodiversity.

He said that the initiative also encourages environmental responsibility among individuals and communities.

The initiative aims to reduce waste in natural areas, protect plant and animal species from human activity, and combat desertification by inspiring communities to protect natural resources.

These goals align with Saudi Arabia’s vision for preserving the planet and its natural heritage, SPA reported.

The center continues its mission to develop and protect vegetation cover throughout the Kingdom, rehabilitating degraded areas, addressing violations, combating illegal logging, and overseeing rangelands, forests and national parks.


Thunderstorms forecast across Saudi Arabia until Sunday 

Updated 48 min 42 sec ago
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Thunderstorms forecast across Saudi Arabia until Sunday 

  • Makkah region is forecast light to moderate rain showers that could lead to flash floods
  • Asir and Jazan regions will also be affected by moderate to heavy showers

RIYADH: The General Directorate of Civil Defense has forecast thunderstorms in several regions across the Kingdom until Sunday.

Makkah region is forecast light to moderate rain showers that could lead to flash floods, hail and dust-stirring winds, reported the Saudi Press Agency, while moderate to heavy rain is expected in Riyadh region.

Asir and Jazan regions will also be affected by moderate to heavy showers, while the Qassim, Eastern and Baha regions will experience moderate rain. The regions of Madinah and Najran can expect light rain.

The directorate has urged people to exercise caution, avoid areas prone to flash flooding, and refrain from swimming in flooded areas.

Members of the public should follow media channels to keep themselves updated on the latest conditions.

Autumn in Saudi Arabia is typically rainy, with rapid weather changes providing relief from the heat, according to the National Center for Meteorology.


Shoura Council, EU officials discuss strengthening ties

Updated 27 November 2024
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Shoura Council, EU officials discuss strengthening ties

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Shoura Council Vice Speaker Mishaal Al-Sulami met in Riyadh with an EU Political and Security Committee delegation, led by its chair Delphine Pronk, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

The delegation included ambassadors from the 27 EU member states, the EU Special Representative for the Gulf Luigi Di Maio, and the EU Ambassador to the Kingdom Christophe Farnaud.

Al-Sulami highlighted the Shoura Council’s oversight and legislative roles and emphasized the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening cooperation.

The delegates praised the Kingdom’s significant developments and the ambitious Saudi Vision 2030, SPA reported.

The talks addressed the strong relations between Saudi Arabia and the EU, ways to enhance collaboration between the Shoura Council and the European Parliament, and other topics of mutual interest.

Earlier, the EU delegation visited the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh, where they discussed ways to counter extremism.

The delegation also visited the Gulf Cooperation Council headquarters in Riyadh, where they discussed joint efforts to tackle global challenges.


Saudi aid targets schools in Yemen, health in Somalia

Updated 27 November 2024
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Saudi aid targets schools in Yemen, health in Somalia

RIYADH: The Saudi aid agency KSrelief signed a cooperation agreement with a civil society organization to implement the third phase of the Back to School project in Yemen.

The initiative will be executed in the Al-Mukha district of Taiz governorate, Thamud district in Hadramout governorate, and the governorates of Shabwah, Abyan and Lahj, benefiting about 6,000 individuals.

KSrelief’s Assistant Supervisor-General for Operations and Programs Ahmed Al-Baiz signed the agreement on the sidelines of the International Conference on Conjoined Twins in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

The agreement includes the provision of 60 fully equipped classrooms, the outfitting of 10 schools to create a suitable learning environment, and the distribution of 6,000 school uniforms and bags containing essential supplies.

Additionally, job opportunities will be provided to low-income families — previous beneficiaries of training and empowerment projects — who will produce the school bags and uniforms.

This initiative is part of Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian efforts, led by KSrelief, to support the educational process, reduce dropout rates, and ensure a safer learning environment in Yemen.

In a separate agreement, KSrelief and the International Medical Corps signed a $1-million partnership to equip Garowe General Hospital in Somalia with dialysis machines and enhance its dialysis center. This project is expected to benefit 3,666 individuals.

The agreement was signed by KSrelief Supervisor-General Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah and International Medical Corps President and CEO Nancy Aossey, also during the conference in Riyadh.

The initiative reflects Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian efforts through KSrelief to support health care services for those in need in Somalia.


Saudi Arabia welcomes ceasefire in Lebanon

People celebrate after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect in Sidon, Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. AP
Updated 27 November 2024
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Saudi Arabia welcomes ceasefire in Lebanon

  • Kingdom appreciates all international efforts made to achieve the ceasefire, foreign ministry statement said

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia welcomes the ceasefire in Lebanon, the Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The Kingdom appreciates all international efforts made in this regard and hopes that this will lead to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the preservation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, security, and stability, and the safe return of the displaced to their homes,” the statement said. 

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah started on Wednesday morning after the two sides struck a deal brokered by the US and France.

The agreement ended the deadliest confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah in years.