From the Agroecology TPP’s Stories from our CoP series, we present our first Q&A with Ibrahim Bahnasy.
- Ibrahim, tell us a little bit about yourself and your background
I am a young changemaker and an environmentalist from Egypt. With a BA in Agriculture, I am also a Co-founder of an eco-startup Orgoooo.
- A young entrepreneur, then! Does Orgoooo stand for something specific? Why did you choose this name?
Indeed. It’s not a random name. There’s meaning behind it. The name Orgoooo stands for ‘organic life goooo’, a sort of accelerator for better, more conscious, and environmentally friendly choices and solutions.
- How does Orgoooo aim to achieve that? What is the start-up’s vision and approach to driving change?
We think that raising awareness is fundamental. It is at the very core of what we do. Having said that, our main focus is on the environmental education in schools. What we are aiming for is to prepare kids and teenagers – the future generation – to become real ’green’ leaders. How do we do that? Well, by teaching them about the natural ecosystem and providing advise on how to protect it through online and offline workshops and training sessions as well as volunteering. This is the vision and ambition of the Orgoooo System.
When working on the educational syllabi that we provide to our beneficiaries, we strive for a simplified, scientific, and practical content that can be replicated elsewhere – through their own workshops and activities. That is why we also share our experience and the knowledge gained with a wider community – we are not only limited to improving our trainings, but want to influence greater change by spreading knowledge.
Another important aspect in driving change is, of course, storytelling. Through written stories, we aspire to motivate people to shift their thinking and become more informed on the environmental and social problems as well as existing solutions.
Additionally, we create a variety of eco-products, such as seed and recycled-paper pencils as well as butter paper envelopes. We also organize field trips to gardens, nurseries, and countryside.
- How was the idea of Orgoooo born?
Still to this day, I am being affected by numerous stories we hear and see about the man-inflicted destruction of the natural ecosystems which, inevitably, results in biodiversity loss, socio-economic conflicts, etc. Slowly but surely, my interest and passion in the area of environmental preservation have grown stronger, and I started to think about tangible solutions. I started to dream big and develop ideas.
Prior to launching Orgoooo, I actually created a Facebook group together with a couple of friends called Green Pure Earth – GPE. The group is designed to share related news, publications and projects, events, and job opportunities as widely as possible, and to build a strong digital community of like-minded individuals. When people connect in such way, they can brainstorm together and come up with brighter ideas and solutions to existing challenges. This group became a real inspiration to develop my own social initiative, providing support and encouragement.
- You mention the value of creating a digital space such as a FB group, in which like-minded people can exchange ideas, share resources, develop solutions, and create knowledge. This is the exact scope of the Agroecology TPP’s Community of Practice (CoP). What role does the TPP’s CoP play for you and your start-up?
Without a doubt, the Agroecology TTP’s CoP introduced me to a whole variety of agroecology-related resources and opened up a network of people working in the field. It also helped me understand and appreciate the value of partnerships and cooperation, both of which are essential to amplifying impact internationally.
- What are Orgoooo’s goals for this year?
For 2023, we’ve set three main objectives, which are:
- Launching brand-new eco-products and encouraging their use in our community;
- Developing a summer training program focused on environmental conservation; and
- Creating the biggest online environmental platform in Africa to unite nations in their climate efforts
Connect with Orgoooo:
https://www.instagram.com/orgooooo/
https://www.facebook.com/Orgoooo
Download the full interview as a PDF here.
Four steps to follow to join our CoP:
- Create an account with GLFx
- Confirm your email address in the registration process
- Once inside the GLFx platform, navigate to ‘Groups’ and choose ‘The Transformative Partnership Platform on Agroecology’
- Select ‘Join’ and complete the sign-up form – now you’re set and can browse resources, start a discussion, and much more!