Future projects

The Trust’s projects are created through a request from local nomadic people and often new projects may suggest themselves from existing ones.

At present the Trust is fully committed to its work in the Sinai but there is an intention to develop future projects with nomadic people in the Arctic and in the Kalahari. We are exploring these possibilities.

Ein Khudra

This project, in the desert Oasis in the Sinai, a settlement dating back to before the Biblical Exodus, was where the foundation of the Makhad Trust’s vision of providing support and working with the Bedouin in the Sinai was formed.

In partnership with Ruskin Mill College and the Bedouin garden owners, over a number of years, we have restored the oasis gardens have been restored with water, young trees and shelters. The small community has flourished and it has become an attractive place for tourists, where they can visit, take tea and camp overnight. This has provided the Bedouin with an additional source of income, in keeping with their ancient traditions of desert hospitality, in addition to the income from the produce of the Oasis.

There are several ways tourists can reach Ein Khudra: either by vehicle via a long desert wadi or by a short descent on foot down the beautiful White Canyon which leads to the oasis. In spite of the many tourists care is being taken by the Museina tribe to protect the White Canyon and keep it clean.

It may be possible in the future to open a disused well in a nearby wadi and establish a garden community with camels; this will enable camel treks to the oasis and help lessen the motor vehicle traffic.

Nawamis community school

The small community of Nawamis are unable to remain in their desert community during the hot summer months because of a lack of water. When their new community well is in operation they will be able to stay in their community all year round. This has prompted the villagers to collect their own funds and they have built a one room school in Nawamis.

Overlooking the village is the historic and beautiful site of Nawamis, which dates back to the Biblical Exodus. This is a tourist attraction, which benefits the village and therefore any substantial building should be in the local stone in order to enhance the site.

The Trust would like to contribute to this school project, which could benefit as many as 30 children from neighbouring areas. It is currently seeking partners and additional funds.

Green energy

The Trust endeavours to find projects and develop them in a way that protects the natural environment. Many of its projects relate to the conservation of water and all wells in the Sinai desert and mountains will require a lifting device to raise the water in the well to a nearby storage tank. For many years a bucket and pulley system called a ‘shadoof’ was used, but this was later abandoned in favour of petrol-driven pumps. These machines are environmentally unfriendly and disturb the beauty and tranquillity of their surroundings.

We intend to explore and then promote other methods of raising the water, for example by solar or wind power. We are also investigating a simple system, based on centuries-old Chinese engineering: the Elephant Pump, which may be a suitable alternative.

Faraj, a desert guide
Bedouin camp near Nawamis
building a sunken shelf for the pump