Two sisters from Gaza whose home was bombed last year have set out to “build hope from rubble” by finding a way to turn the debris of war into bricks.
Tala Mousa, 17, and her sister, Farah, 15, have been shortlisted for a major prize thanks to a method they would like to see introduced in Gaza. The teenagers are in the running to win the Middle East section of the Earth Prize, having been shortlisted alongside two contenders from Turkey and two from Lebanon.
Named Build Hope, their entry is based on a method that the sisters say could be used globally if taken up by a non-governmental organisation.
After their home was struck in August last year, the family, which also includes their younger brother, Yahya, 13, have been living in a tent alongside thousands of others in the enclave, left homeless as a result of Israeli strikes.
“When we discovered the Earth Prize we felt it could be the real starting point that would turn the dream into reality and help build hope from rubble,” Farah told The National. “The view from our tent became the main motivation. When everything around you is debris, you start searching for a way to turn this crisis into an opportunity. That’s how we began thinking about using rubble as a starting point for rebuilding.”
The Earth Prize is open to people around the world aged 13 to 19 and the winners of each of its seven regions will be announced from May 11 to 17. Successful teams are awarded $12,500 to develop their technology. A subsequent public vote will decide the winner, which will be announced on May 29.
Salvaging solutions
Tala described their process as simple, low cost and reliant on locally available materials. The non-load-bearing blocks that are created can be used for pavements, garden beds and partitions.
“We start with collecting rubble, crushing and mixing it with locally available binders like clay, ash, straw or glass powder, then moulding it into bricks,” she said. “Most rubble can be reused if it’s safe and free from hazardous materials. In conflict areas, it’s important to select rubble from safe locations that were not exposed to dangerous substances.”
Tala and Farah would like to hold workshops to show young people how to make the bricks, before going on to share the method with others. Remarkably, they developed their method through testing in an area of land next to their tent that is also used for cooking and doing laundry.
“We made it at home and our grandpa helped,” Tala said. “He was the one who made the practical things with us.”
Along with their grandfather, Samer, who helped to develop the prototype, the sisters were supported by their father, also named Samer, a university dean, and their mother, Samar, an industrial engineer.
Sisters surviving war
Tala described the effects of the Israeli war on Gaza as a "very difficult experience”.
“We lived through displacement, fear and hunger and constant uncertainty,” she said. “We were completely deprived of our education. We lived and still live with the same danger that forced us to leave our destroyed home and move into tents under heat and rain. It’s far from normal human living.
“Before the war, we were refugees, but we lived in homes, went to school and food was available. Today, everything has changed completely. But we survived and we turned this experience into motivation to make this project real.”
Setting an example
The prize is run by Swiss non-profit organisation, the Earth Foundation. Its founder, Peter McGarry, said Tala and Farah’s work was “a powerful example” of young people responding to their circumstances “with creativity and determination”.
“By transforming debris into practical solutions for their community, they are empowering others to take part in recovery,” he added. “Their project captures what the Earth Prize stands for – bold, locally grounded ideas with the potential to create meaningful impact.”
The prize is in its fifth year. In the 2025 contest, four students from Ghayathi Common School in Abu Dhabi won the prize's Middle East section for their EcoMind Academy mobile phone app, which combines sustainability with English and maths lessons.
Other inventions from entrants include an AI-powered drought predictor, an ocean-cleaning robot and a method to create drinking water from fog.
