{"id":4945,"date":"2025-06-20T17:06:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T15:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/?p=4945"},"modified":"2025-06-22T11:35:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T09:35:26","slug":"clean-up-at-the-horemi-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/clean-up-at-the-horemi-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Clean-up at the HOREMI community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><sup><strong>A contri\u00adbu\u00adtion by Stefanie Reska, 1st Chair\u00adwoman Friends of HOREMI e.V.<\/strong><\/sup><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><br><strong>During our last visit in spring, I was able to stay at HOREMI for a few days and also had time to talk to the founder, Naume, about plastic pollu\u00adtion in the surrounding village commu\u00adni\u00adties. HOREMI itself produces very little plastic waste due to the already reduced consump\u00adtion, but as there is no waste disposal by the commu\u00adnity, every\u00adthing is thrown into a shallow pit behind the kitchen and even\u00adtu\u00adally either buried or burnt.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Neither is a good solu\u00adtion, but it\u2019s still better than the method used by the neigh\u00adbours in the village. They simply throw every\u00adthing \u2014 from thin shop\u00adping bags to broken canis\u00adters \u2014 behind the house, where it is carried into the coun\u00adtry\u00adside by the wind, made brittle by the sun and even\u00adtu\u00adally ends up as microplas\u00adtics in the soil. That day, Naume heard for the first time how long plastic bags take to completely decom\u00adpose (over 100 years!) and that the resulting microplas\u00adtics also accu\u00admu\u00adlate in our bodies \u2014 via the soil and plants \u2014 and make people and animals ill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plastic is every\u00adwhere in the village \u2014 espe\u00adcially the small, thin bags in which food or sweets are sold and which later end up covered in brown dust as tram\u00adpled shreds on the paths or caught on plants, twitching in the wind. There are also broken soft drink bottles, half flip-flops, discarded tooth\u00adbrushes, broken plastic bowls and bags, bags, bags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69df0fee4dfef&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69df0fee4dfef\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"798\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5664-1024x798.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-4953\" srcset=\"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5664-1024x798.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5664-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5664-768x599.jpg 768w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5664-540x421.jpg 540w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5664-1080x842.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5664.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Enlarge\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\">\n\t\t\t<svg width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Once you start looking \u2026<br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69df0fee4e322&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69df0fee4e322\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"797\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5668-1024x797.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-4954\" srcset=\"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5668-1024x797.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5668-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5668-768x598.jpg 768w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5668-1536x1196.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5668-540x421.jpg 540w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5668-1080x841.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5668.jpg 1898w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Enlarge\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\">\n\t\t\t<svg width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The first bag is quickly filled.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A few hours after our conver\u00adsa\u00adtion, on a walk through the village, I spon\u00adta\u00adneously decided to set a good example and pick up the plastic lying around. A group of kids on their way to the water pump in the centre of the village watched in amaze\u00adment as I picked up the dusty scraps and stuffed them into one of the slightly larger plastic bags. Cans, Coke bottles, deter\u00adgent packets and lots of uniden\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adable mate\u00adrial dulled by the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After ten minutes, I not only had two bulging bags in my hand and dust on my face, but also two dozen onlookers \u2014 women, men, chil\u00addren, who eyed me from a distance and, with puzzled faces, were clearly wondering what was going on with me (I wondered at this point whether I was possibly about to set an example of how to completely discredit your\u00adself in public \u2026).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69df0fee4e53c&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69df0fee4e53c\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5673-768x1024.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-4949\" srcset=\"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5673-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5673-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5673-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5673-540x720.jpg 540w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5673-1080x1440.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5673.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Enlarge\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\">\n\t\t\t<svg width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">After a short time, the chil\u00addren are eagerly involved and fill a total of twelve large bags with plastic waste.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69df0fee4e677&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69df0fee4e677\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5678-Kopie-768x1024.jpeg\" alt class=\"wp-image-4950\" srcset=\"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5678-Kopie-768x1025.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5678-Kopie-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5678-Kopie-1151x1536.jpeg 1151w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5678-Kopie-540x720.jpeg 540w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5678-Kopie-1080x1441.jpeg 1080w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_5678-Kopie.jpeg 1482w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Enlarge\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\">\n\t\t\t<svg width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The campaign was a complete success thanks to the hard-working and enthu\u00adsi\u00adastic chil\u00addren. To be continued!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Then a little girl came up to me and, with a ques\u00adtioning smile, brought me a plastic bag she had pulled out of a bush \u2014 my relief at this sign of soli\u00addarity must have been palpable. Encour\u00adaged, the next child brought another bag, a third picked up a broken canister, a few minutes later there were six chil\u00addren, then a dozen or so, sprinting in all direc\u00adtions laughing and picking up partic\u00adu\u00adlarly cool plastic trophies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The atmos\u00adphere was now euphoric as what was prob\u00adably the Horemi commu\u00adni\u00adty\u2019s first clean-up flashmob triumphantly made its way through the village. Adults nodded to us with smiles and thumbs up, the chil\u00addren and I exchanged high-fives with each succes\u00adsive plastic bottle catch. After half an hour, we had filled twelve large sacks into which we had stuffed loads of smaller bags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Clean Up bei HOREMI: Plastik kommt in die T\u00fcte\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/O9A144gUDvM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to the super-moti\u00advated task force, the differ\u00adence in the village was indeed already visible \u2014 at first glance, no major rubbish was notice\u00adable \u2014 and the kids posed proudly in victory pose in front of the large pile for a souvenir photo. Naume expressed the inten\u00adtion to organise such a clean-up campaign regu\u00adlarly and for the whole village commu\u00adnity \u2014 the first trial run was defi\u00adnitely promising!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">P.S.:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"840\" src=\"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_4285-1024x840.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-4951\" srcset=\"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_4285-1024x840.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_4285-300x246.jpg 300w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_4285-768x630.jpg 768w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_4285-1536x1260.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_4285-540x443.jpg 540w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_4285-1080x886.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/06\/IMG_4285.jpg 1792w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">We don\u2019t know what happens to the plastic waste trans\u00adported here. But at least it was collected. So keep going, cleanup team at HOREMI! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plastic waste is every\u00adwhere in Uganda too. Our colleague Stefanie has declared war on it together with the HOREMI kids \u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":4946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-horemi"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4945"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5003,"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4945\/revisions\/5003"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}