About this project
Executive Summary
“Green Corridors for Clean Communities” is a youth-led initiative designed to address the growing challenges of water pollution, poor sanitation awareness, and urban land degradation in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. The project integrates the goals of SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 15 (Life on Land) by focusing on two mutually reinforcing components:
Water and Sanitation Awareness Campaigns: to reduce pollution in waterways and promote community-level hygiene practices;
Urban Gardening and Re-Greening: to convert vacant or neglected public spaces into productive community gardens that promotes food security and urban biodiversity.
This initiative will engage youth, especially girls, in environmental action by cleaning polluted drainage zones, building low-cost sanitation-friendly infrastructure, and creating vegetable gardens in schoolyards and neighborhood hubs. It promotes sustainability, climate resilience, and youth leadership in urban development.
Rationale of the project
Bahir Dar is a growing urban center located on the southern shores of Lake Tana and the origin of the Blue Nile. Despite its natural beauty and ecological importance, the city struggles with challenges common to fast-urbanizing areas: poor waste management, water pollution, inadequate green spaces, and unsustainable land use practices.
Urban runoff, littering, and plastic waste often enter drainage canals and tributaries feeding into the Blue Nile, affecting water quality and public health. Simultaneously, neighborhoods in the inner city and outskirts lack access to clean, green, and productive public spaces. These realities contribute to a decline in both environmental quality and community well-being.
Youth in Bahir Dar, although motivated, face barriers in mobilizing resources for environmental initiatives. This project provides them the platform to lead action for cleaner communities and greener cities — improving sanitation through awareness and reducing environmental stress through urban greening.
Goals and Objectives
Project Objectives
General Objective
Ø To promote cleaner urban environments in Bahir Dar by combining water and sanitation awareness with youth-led urban gardening and re-greening efforts.
Specific Objectives
1. To organize water pollution awareness and clean-up campaigns in key urban water drainage areas.
2. To establish at least two urban gardens in schools or neighborhood centers that demonstrates sustainable gardening techniques.
3. To train 40–50 youth, particularly girls, on water conservation, eco-sanitation, composting, and sustainable gardening practices.
To raise awareness in schools and the broader community on the importance of urban biodiversity and waste reduction through public workshops and campaigns.
Expected result
- Volume of waste removed (target: 500+ kg)
- Two fully functional gardens by end of project
- 50 youth trained and involved
- Community engagement (survey-based satisfaction ratings)
Partners
About me / organisation
Amsalu Gerem Melaku
The project Coordinator is Youth environmental activist and public health professional living in Bahir Dar. He is contributing and participating in different volunteer activities in the city. He is capable of enforcing youth in the town and schools for better benefit of the community.