Beach Cleanup Campaign at Curubo Beach – World Environment Day 2024
On June 5, 2024, to mark World Environment Day, Action for Environment (A4E) in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) led a significant beach cleanup campaign at Curubo Beach, one of Somalia’s beautiful but increasingly polluted coastal sites. This activity formed part of a global movement under the United Nations’ 2024 theme: “Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience.”
World Environment Day 2024 emphasized the urgent need to restore degraded ecosystems, combat desertification, and enhance community resilience to drought. In this spirit, the Curubo cleanup aimed to:
Reduce the environmental burden caused by marine and land-based litter, Raise community awareness about the interconnectedness of land degradation, coastal pollution, and climate resilience.
Engage the public—especially youth and local communities—in environmental protection efforts and Promote sustainable consumption and waste management practices along the Somali coast.
The campaign mobilized over 150 volunteers, including:
Youth-led climate and environmental groups. School and university students, local fishermen and beach vendors and Environmental experts, MoECC officials, and A4E team members.
Participants were equipped with gloves, waste bags, rakes, and safety gear. After a short awareness briefing and safety orientation, they systematically cleared the beach, separating plastic waste from organic debris and recyclable materials. The collected waste included plastic bottles, single-use food containers, discarded fishing nets, fabric waste, and microplastics, which were responsibly transported for proper disposal.
The event also featured interactive learning sessions, including:
A short talk on Somalia’s vulnerability to climate change and the link between pollution and desertification, an educational corner where volunteers learned about marine biodiversity and the impact of waste on ocean life and a creative “Message Wall” where participants wrote pledges to protect nature, reinforcing community commitment under the slogan: “There is No Planet B.”
Outcomes and Impact
The beach cleanup had both immediate and long-term environmental and social benefits:
Over 400 kilograms of waste was removed from the shoreline in a single day, reducing the direct threat to marine life and improving the beach’s natural beauty, The campaign served as a model of collaborative climate action, highlighting the importance of partnerships between government institutions, grassroots organizations, and communities.
By centering the theme of land restoration, the activity drew attention to the connection between coastal health, drought cycles, and land degradation, especially relevant to Somalia’s fragile environment.
The event helped build youth leadership, instilling a sense of environmental responsibility and empowering participants to replicate similar efforts in their neighborhoods and schools.
Reflections and Way Forward
The success of the Curubo Beach cleanup demonstrated that localized, community-driven initiatives are key to tackling broader environmental issues. The campaign also highlighted the need for stronger policy frameworks, such as enforcement of anti-littering laws, plastic bans, and support for recycling programs in coastal areas.
Moving forward, A4E and MoECC plan to:
Expand cleanup activities to other beaches across Somalia’s coastline.
Conduct regular environmental awareness sessions in schools and local communities.
Advocate for community-based waste management systems to promote long-term sustainability.
Conclusion
The Curubo Beach Cleanup was more than just a one-day event—it was a symbol of hope, action, and accountability. It showed that with collective effort, environmental degradation can be reversed, ecosystems can be restored, and communities can become more resilient in the face of climate challenges.
By bringing the theme of “There is No Planet B” to life, the campaign not only restored a piece of Somalia’s coastline but also inspired a growing movement of environmental guardians committed to protecting the planet for current and future generations.
