Two teenage sisters in Gaza have turned the wreckage of war into reusable bricks, and the idea has now won an environmental prize.
Tala Mousa, 17, and Farah Mousa, 15, created Build Hope Palestine after seeing widespread destruction in Gaza and after their own home was bombed in August.
“The idea came after our house was bombed, and after seeing destruction everywhere around us in Gaza,” Tala Mousa told As It Happens host Nil Köksal from the tent camp in central Gaza where she and Farah are living with their family.
“When rubble became part of our daily life, we started asking ourselves how we could turn this destruction into something useful and helpful.”
The sisters set out to repurpose rubble into bricks or blocks that could be used in rebuilding. Their project was recently named winner in the Middle East category of the 2026 Earth Prize, an annual competition for young people developing solutions to environmental challenges.
To develop the process, Tala and Farah asked their grandfather, Samer, for help.
“We are still young … and he has big experience in these things,” Tala said.
They set up a small outdoor workshop in the same place they cook and do laundry. Together, they crushed and sifted rubble into coarse sand using manual tools such as a hammer, then added clay, ash, straw or glass powder to bind the material. They used a handmade wooden mould to form rectangular bricks and dried them.
“We used local materials and low-cost methods,” Tala said.
Tala and Farah said the bricks are for non-load-bearing use and can be used for pavements, partitions and garden beds. Tala said some of their neighbours used the blocks in winter after strong winds knocked tents over in the camp.
“So they used our blocks to make sure that the tent is stable.”
“We are really happy to help others … and make them feel safety,” she said. “That they are sure when they are sitting in their tent … the tent won’t be upside down anymore.”
As Middle East regional winners, the sisters will receive $17,500 Cdn from the Earth Foundation to further develop the project. Their next step is to hold local brick-making workshops for 100 other young Gazans.
“We hope to train young people, spread practical knowledge, recycle large amounts of rubble and help communities rebuild in a more sustainable and independent way,” Tala said.
The United Nations recently estimated the war has caused physical damage worth around $48.7 billion Cdn and left about 60 million tonnes of rubble to clear.
Tala said she and Farah hope the method can one day be used in other places affected by war.
“It would not be strictly for Gaza,” Tala said.
Read more from CBC.
