Howeyda Ezzat and Heba Ezzat are like the two sisters from Disney’s ‘Frozen’. They are two sisters with one mind, one powerful in the political scene, the other is powerful among the people. Together they teamed up to protect the environment and build their own organization – the Japanese Association for Environmental Development in Helwan. Growing up in the city of Helwan, they’ve often referred to their town as a ‘garden city’ due to the presence of parks and green spaces.The city contains large areas of tropical natural reserves and a botanical garden, and was once a leisure spot for tourists, with places like the Japanese garden and the King Farouk Museum being among the most popular places to visit in Greater Cairo. Yet due to overpopulation and pollution, the city’s green colour faded away behind the greys and browns of polluted canals and slums with poor infrastructure. Residents of Helwan keep their windows closed and covered due to the fumes from industrial facilities, noisy traffic, and constant construction. Though attention is often turned primarily to grand projects implemented by the government, there is also the work of people on…
