Two teenage sisters from Gaza, Farah and Tala Mousa, have been awarded the Middle East regional Earth Prize for transforming rubble into reusable bricks. The sisters, living in a tent after their home was bombed, sought to turn destruction into something useful.
"After our entire city turned into rubble, everything around us pushed us to think about a solution," said 17-year-old Tala. The sisters developed a block made by crushing and sieving debris, then mixing it with clay, ash, and glass powder. The low-cost bricks are designed for non-load-bearing uses like pavements and garden beds.
The $12,500 prize will fund workshops to train 100 young people to produce bricks, aiming to create at least 200 units. Farah, 15, emphasized participating in reconstruction instead of waiting for outside help. The war, triggered by the October 2023 Hamas-led attack, has displaced nearly 90% of Gaza's population.