Yahya al-Lawati worked as an oil engineer in the Sultanate of Oman for three years.

Then he wanted to do something more meaningful than pumping oil out of the ground.

In 2017, he and friends founded a civil society organization that aims to improve living conditions in poor countries through community projects.

There were three of them.

As Omani citizens, they lived in a country that, while not overly blessed with oil, is well governed.

So the people of the Sultanate of Oman are doing well.

Rainer Herman

Editor in Politics.

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That's where the three started with their Nomu-Hub, which can be translated as growth-hub.

They recruit young Omani people, mostly, like them, academics who have already gained work experience.

As volunteers, they spend several months going where the people are poor.

"We are pursuing two goals," says al-Lawati.

“On the one hand, we who live in prosperity want to pass on some of that.

On the other hand, after their return, the volunteers should tell us how privileged we are living here in Oman.” This should raise awareness that it is not a matter of course to be able to live in a rich country.

What started as a small project is now a hit.

Nomu-Hub does not have to advertise, says al-Lawati.

Word of mouth is enough now.

The idea for this came from young Omans who had worked on community development projects in Zanzibar.

From 1698 to 1861 the island off East Africa was part of the Sultanate of Oman, today it belongs to Tanzania.

The upper class continues to have a strong Arabic influence.

However, per capita income in Oman is 25 times higher than in Zanzibar.

New life for the oasis

Yahya al-Lawati is currently not in Zanzibar or in Oman, but in even richer Saudi Arabia.

There he is supposed to apply in al-Ula what he has learned in his community development projects.

Because the Saudi leadership wants to make the region around al-Ula, which is blessed with archaeological sites, the most important tourist destination in the kingdom.

The task of Yahya al-Lawati and his organization: to make the vast and long-neglected oasis interesting for Saudi visitors and other tourists.

The "Oasis Heritage Trail" runs through the oasis from south to north.

The residents of al-Ula had lived and worked here for centuries.

At first they only lived up in the old town with its narrow streets in winter, but in recent decades they have moved entirely to the new quarters.

Not only the old town fell into disrepair, but also the buildings in the oasis.

Al-Lawati is supposed to breathe life back into the oasis.

To this end, he and his organization have developed two projects.

In one project, they are rebuilding derelict clay structures.

This happens because the predominantly Saudi visitors learn in half-day workshops how clay bricks are made, how walls are built with them and how existing things are maintained.

"The Saudis love it and are very happy to take part," says al-Lawati.

They got to know how their ancestors lived;

building with mud bricks is more difficult than they thought.

You will also learn how well mud buildings insulate against the cold of winter as well as against the heat of summer.

And they also learn that life in the mud buildings, despite the lack of comfort, was very healthy.

Help on many levels

In the second project, visitors plant seedlings on the edge of the oasis.

In the oasis itself, in addition to the date palms, there are also many trees with citrus fruits.

Al-Lawati introduces visitors to the Moringa peregrina tree.

Its trunks are used for lumber, its leaves are eaten, and its pulp is used to extract an oil that is used in cosmetics and perfume.

So far, the oil has been exported to France, where, for example, the perfume called Lihyan is made, which is then sold back in Saudi Arabia.

The visitors planted more than 1,500 seedlings in two months, says al-Lawati.

Many more of these precious trees are to grow.

An experimental farm aims to improve the quality of the plants, and an experimental laboratory wants to create the conditions for not only growing the tree in al-Ula, but also making the perfume.

When the stream of tourists dries up in the hot desert summer, al-Lawati will be back in the Sultanate of Oman, where he is preparing for the next missions.

In addition to Zanzibar, Nomu-Hub volunteers are mainly active in Kenya and Morocco as well as in India and Sri Lanka.

In the rural areas of these countries, they have built small hospitals, they teach children such subjects as math and English, and they educate them about hygiene.

In other projects, they work with the population to collect rainwater and use it for agriculture.

In one case, they turned a landfill into a garden using the concept of permaculture, which stands for sustainable agriculture, says al-Lawati.

The volunteers now also come from other countries on the Arabian Peninsula, among them are students and trained doctors.

"In a further step, we are now also bringing entrepreneurs with us who will pass on the knowledge to the locals to market their products." When the volunteers return, another educational goal of Nomu-Hub has been achieved.

They go on to tell how privileged their lives are.