At Min House Camp in Kubang Kerian, children with Down syndrome work alongside university students and international volunteers in a nature-based setting, proving that small, practical ideas can create meaningful impact for both people and the environment.
According to Kelantan Down Syndrome Association president Wan Noriah Wan Ramli, the eggshell initiative is run under the association at Min House Camp, which is registered with the social welfare department and is now in its 10th year of operation.
“Eggshells are one of the main materials used. They are often thrown away, yet their calcium content is highly beneficial for soil fertility and plant growth,” she told Bernama.
The programme recently received the Down Syndrome Empowerment Fund for 2026, with the goal of producing organic fertiliser and compost using natural materials. To support the effort, Min House Camp works with schools to collect and donate dried eggshells for composting activities.
Wan Noriah said the process plays a dual role of producing fertiliser while helping children with Down syndrome develop fine motor skills through crushing and grinding the shells.
“This practice can easily be continued at home with kitchen eggshells, and it helps raise awareness about valuing resources that are often seen as waste,” she added.
The programme is further supported by students from higher learning institutions, including Universiti Malaysia Kelantan and Politeknik Kota Bharu, who take turns contributing their time and skills at the camp.
To date, more than 1,100kg of eggshells have been collected from schools, homes, restaurants and hotels, with most shells dried before use.
“This initiative is not meant to generate profit … we practise knowledge and resource sharing to educate the community on cost savings, environmental care and harmonious living,” Wan Noriah noted.
Meanwhile, the association’s Community Seed Resort Initiative shares organic seeds and recycling practices to help build more resilient communities that are less dependent on commercial resources.
For international volunteer Elias Azzakriti, 27, from Morocco, the experience offered fresh insight into sustainability. “I didn’t know eggshells could be used as organic fertiliser, even though traditional lifestyles are common in my country,” he said.
Another volunteer, Anas Zehti, 26, highlighted that the recycling process involves crushing eggshells into small pieces before mixing them into the soil to naturally improve soil structure.
“I hope to share this knowledge with communities in other countries,” he concluded.