TBHF links environmental restoration with livelihood projects in Zanzibar, Morocco, Gaza
SHARJAH, 21st April, 2026 (WAM) -- Earth Day, observed on April 22, is framed with environmental campaign and more as a question of how people live and sustain themselves. Our Planet," the call is for collective action not only to limit damage, but to rethink how resources are used to support long-term stability.Against that backdrop, Sharjah-based humanitarian organisation The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF), links environmental protection with livelihoods, focusing on restoring agricultural land and turning it into a source of income for vulnerable communities, particularly refugees, helping build more stable and independent livelihoods.In Zanzibar, for example, TBHF's project puts their ethos into practice.
The foundation partnered with Maisha Bora Foundation on projects supporting 200 women and young people in herb and seaweed farming.The project includes technical training in sustainable farming, along with support to improve product quality and access to markets. It has also introduced contract farming and linked participants to the blue economy, with a focus on more sustainable use of marine resources.TBHF uses solar power to run services, including its mobile clinics in Zanzibar, which serve low-income communities and refugees.
The shift reduces reliance on fuel and allows clinics to operate more consistently in remote areas. Through this approach, the entity delivers aid, combining service delivery with longer-term efforts to reduce environmental impact and support self-reliance.Similar efforts are underway in Morocco's High Atlas region, where TBHF is working with the High Atlas Foundation on the "Rising Root Morocco" initiative, training 24 young people in agroecology, environmental education and community-based entrepreneurship to lead locally driven projects that support sustainable livelihoods in rural communities.In the Gaza Strip, the foundation is working with ANERA on projects to rehabilitate farmland and help farmers restore their livelihoods.Issam, a 60-year-old farmer from Deir al-Balah, offered his land, which was used for cultivation for several decades, as a shelter for displaced families during the war who moved into his greenhouses.
