Projects

The Makhad Trust provides practical projects which promote sustainable living and are directed towards people who have shown an interest in returning to work their land. We seek out local entrepreneurs with leadership qualities and help them to provide working models for the whole community.

All projects are designed to protect the natural environment. Where possible, we enter into partnerships with other organisations. The result is that communities are given hope and purpose and the economy of garden agriculture is revitalised.

From these projects smaller community projects have arisen. These are carefully designed to be broadly educational while importantly protecting the heritage of the people.

The primary aim of our Sinai projects is to support the Bedouin in their traditional way of life. This is done in three ways: by enabling sustainable economic development, by supporting the traditional culture and by developing educational resources.

Economic development is encouraged and assisted through garden restoration. We help bring individual gardens into production by repairing wells, building dams and developing pumps for cleaner energy. To enable the Bedouin to make a living from these gardens we help them dry herbs and fruit, package them and sell them; this is done by providing drying boxes in individual gardens. We also help them develop their traditions of hospitality towards visitors, which provides an income from tourism. For this we have helped build garden compost toilets.

Support for the traditional culture currently includes the development of a women's craft centre and a Bedouin museum. The educational projects include the provision of computers and computer training courses.

Details of particular projects are here:

Restoration of Bedouin gardens: overview

Amria Faraj Mousa
Hussein Sala Mousa
Ishmail Ibrahim Salem
Oda Mohamed Oda
Sala Mousa Sala
Salem Faraj Farhan

Amran gardens
Abu Sila herb and fruit drying centre
Dr Ahmed's herbal school
Bedouin craft centre
Fox Camp Bedouin museum
Clean energy pump trial

Community Drinking Wells: overview

El Essbaia Community Drinking Well
Zaituna Community Drinking Well
Abu Gifa Community Drinking Well

The Nawamis Project: overview

The Nawamis School
The Desert Tent
The Nawamis Community well

Two projects in Tibet

Oda's garden
shadoof
Salem Spaiha Darwish's garden, Wadi Tobuk