By IOL Palestine Correspondent

GAZA CITY, July 5 (IslamOnline) – Palestinian children in Gaza started painting an artistic mural, next to the Gaza Legislative Council, expressing their dreams of a nice, clean Gaza. The move comes as a part of the Palestinian Program to improve the environment.

On Thursday, July 4, 2002, 45 Palestinian children started painting pictures of their design, with the help of professional artists. The move is meant to spread awareness, among Gaza people, about the necessity of paying more care to their environment. Pollution poses a great danger in Gaza due to absence of awareness and wrong practices. Therefore, the children are to launch an environmental campaign, the aim of which is to increase their people’s knowledge as far as cleanliness of their city’s streets, beaches and parks are concerned.

The Program’s Person in Charge, Saleema Sha’th, told IslamOnline, Friday, July 5, that nine Palestinian Summer Camps were organized in Gaza.

“Our aim is to increase the children awareness of the importance of preserving the beauty and cleanliness of their environment. We teach them how to clean empty pieces of land, many in Gaza, not to be used as dumps.

Occupation never killed their dreams.

“Each camp houses 20 children, aged 8 to 14. The children cleaned the pieces of land and received lessons on how to preserve the natural environment. We sent them to their neighbors to advise them on how to keep the beauty and cleanliness of their city,” Sha’th added.

“Five talented children were chosen from each camp to express the values and knowledge they have been taught, and to change that into a mural,” she concluded.

Mahmood Shabkah, 14, one of the young Palestinian dreaming artists, said; “I was taught how to preserve my city, protect my environment against all kinds of pollution. Also, how to advise others on the same topics. I had a good chance to express my love for my country; Palestine”.

Another participant, Iman Mihanna, 15, said she had a chance to learn many things about how to help beautify “our beloved Gaza” and how to express “our dreams about the future of Palestine”.