7 schoolgirls implement prize-winning water conservation project

AMMAN — The Enterprise Business Challenge’s first-place winning team designed a system to improve irrigation water management, according to its team leader.

More than 4,000 students from 114 schools around Jordan participated in the EBC programme in 2022. 

Now its 11th year, the programme was administered by INJAZ, a local non-profit organisation in the Kingdom, in partnership with the Prince’s Trust International (PTI).

Out of the 12 nominated teams, a team of seven girls, “Team Doctors” from Queen Zein Al Sharaf Secondary School for Girls in Aqaba, received first place in the EBC.

The team leader of “Team Doctors”, 15-year-old student Aya Weshahi, told The Jordan Times that they will implement their project in their school, where they will plant greenery, install an irrigation system, and employ workers to maintain it.

According to Weshahi, Team Doctors presented a drip irrigation system named “The Water Project”, which relies on temperature and humidity sensors. These are connected to a device programmed to open the water valve to save water resources.

Weshahi said that the team was categorised into three groups: Management, marketing, and technical groups. “We each had a certain task to achieve, and we learned so much during the programme as we also faced some challenges but managed to overcome them thanks to our coaches,” she said.

She highlighted that the programme helped her gain self-confidence and always believe in her abilities and ideas.

Fellow 15-year-old and teammate Dua’a Suleiman told The Jordan Times that the EBC experience was “eye opening”.

“It was great to participate in the EBC, as it helped me and my colleagues learn plenty of skills and I became very motivated to work on myself and start planning for my future,” Suleiman said.

According to Suleiman, they worked on an automatic drip irrigation system that relies on sensors that measure the temperature and moisture of the soil and irrigate according to the water needs. The system, following the guide of the sensors, stops when the soil moisture reaches the required percentage.

Helen Khateeb, the team’s volunteer coach, expressed her pride at the team’s great achievement. 

“The young generation has plenty of ideas and initiatives,” Khateeb told The Jordan Times. She indicated that the objective of the programme is to foster passion in the students and to leave an impression on their lives for the future as well.

“I wanted my students to take the training not only for the present but to learn the methods and skills to apply it in their lives in general. EBC helps those young people to realise that it is never too early to start a business,” Khateeb said.