Kaembeni Secondary School Wildlife Club Members planting trees in a designated tree area within their school
The afternoon sun shines over Kaembeni Secondary School, in a village near the Coastline of the Indian Ocean in Kilifi County.As rays of light seep through branches of trees planted in rows, they cast sweeping shadows on the arid brown compound of the school and shelter learners from the intensity of the sun’s heat.
The green canopies and cool environment within the school sharply contrast with neighbouring lands where trees are scarce and shadeless surroundings soak up the heat.
The disparity is attributed to ongoing tree planting efforts by the students as part of an initiative by a local Non-Governmental Organisation, Malindi Education and Development Foundation (MEDA-F) implemented in the Magarini, Ngarashe and Marafa zones of the County.
Historically, this region has grappled with climate hazards particularly drought affecting agricultural production and livelihoods in the county. Gradually, unfavourable weather conditions have been exacerbated by logging and the destruction of forests for charcoal and firewood.
Magarini Constituency for instance is the leading supplier of charcoal in Mombasa and Malindi towns with trees cut from community forests.
Raising young environmental champions
To turn the tide on degradation, MEDA-F has spearheaded an initiative aimed at inculcating a culture of environmental conservation among the youth and children for the past three years.
“It is an effort to change mindsets on conservation. What better time to start than at a young age?” poses Emmanuel Jilo, Programme officer, MEDA-F.
The organisation has been conducting environmental awareness sessions in schools sensitising them on the importance of tree planting while also distributing seedlings to grow in schools, at home, and in other community spaces.
MEDA-F, which has been implementing various education programmes in the county for almost 30 years, proved to be an ideal strategic partner in rallying schools to engage in tree planting.
Through the 3- year initiative supported by Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) with funding from I&M Foundation, the organisation has so far led efforts to plant 92,350 trees in schools, churches, mosques, police stations and administrative offices.
Quick Figures8,503,840 the amount awarded to MEDA-F for implementation of the environmental conservation initiative by KCDF and I&M Foundation.
1,885, 900 total in-kind contributions by MEDA-F towards the project.
92,350 the number of trees planted during the three-year project period.
48 schools in Kilifi County were reached with environmental awareness sessions.
“We train learners on different topics including how to collect seeds, prepare a tree nursery, land preparation for tree planting and the process of transplanting seedlings. We encourage learners to plant trees at school and home,” reveals Jilo.
So far, learners in 48 learning institutions including 2 vocational training centres, 29 primary schools and 17 secondary schools have benefited from the training sessions.
“Here at Kaembeni we have planted tree species including moringa, neem, casuarina and gmelina arborea among others,” says Festus Mwasambu, Wildlife Club Patron at Kaembeni Secondary School.
Mwasambu who doubles up as the Chairperson of the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya in Magarini Sub County has led tree planting efforts among learners, teachers and non-teaching staff in a bid to green the school.
Through these efforts, the school has planted over 20,000 trees since 2020.
“Planting trees has improved the school’s aesthetics and given us clean and cool air. In the long run, we are hopeful that the trees will attract rainfall and mitigate the effects of climate change,” says Mwasambu.
At home, Mwasambu has planted close to 400 Casuarina trees and food trees including mangoes, cashew nuts bananas and cassava.
Impact of awareness creation
Beyond the confines of the school, learners have also taken up tree planting in their homes.
Mohamed Karisa, a form four student is one of the learners who have emerged as a champion in tree planting.
For the past three years, Karisa has planted over 300 trees at home and set up a tree nursery.
For Karisa, the motivation to plant trees has not only been to conserve the environment but also to fund his education.
Karisa sells the tree seedlings to raise his school fees. He sells each seedling between Sh100- Sh150.
To support his passion for environmental conservation, Karisa’s parents gave him half an acre of land as a way of boosting his efforts of planting trees at home.
The move by the parents was a clear demonstration of how the community is supporting environmental conservation going to the length of giving out land for tree growing.
Due to high poverty levels in the County, many learners end up dropping out of school for lack of fees.
Emily Omudho, Livelihoods, Environment and Natural Resource Management Team Lead at KCDF, terms raising young environmental champions as one of the big successes of the environmental awareness efforts.
“These champions provide hope of sustaining environmental conservation efforts beyond the project implementation period,” she says.
Karisa received a solar lantern from MEDA-F as a reward for his exemplary efforts in tree planting. Initially, Karisa relied on a makeshift lamp to study exposing him to paraffin smoke notorious for causing breathing and vision defects when used for a long time.
Now with the sun-powered solar lantern that comes with three bulbs, Karisa has found a cleaner and cheaper source of light enabling him to study for longer periods.
The green canopies and cool environment within the school sharply contrast with neighbouring lands where trees are scarce and shadeless surroundings soak up the heat.
The disparity is attributed to ongoing tree planting efforts by the students as part of an initiative by a local Non-Governmental Organisation, Malindi Education and Development Foundation (MEDA-F) implemented in the Magarini, Ngarashe and Marafa zones of the County.
Historically, this region has grappled with climate hazards particularly drought affecting agricultural production and livelihoods in the county. Gradually, unfavourable weather conditions have been exacerbated by logging and the destruction of forests for charcoal and firewood.
Magarini Constituency for instance is the leading supplier of charcoal in Mombasa and Malindi towns with trees cut from community forests.
Raising young environmental champions
To turn the tide on degradation, MEDA-F has spearheaded an initiative aimed at inculcating a culture of environmental conservation among the youth and children for the past three years.
“It is an effort to change mindsets on conservation. What better time to start than at a young age?” poses Emmanuel Jilo, Programme officer, MEDA-F.
The organisation has been conducting environmental awareness sessions in schools sensitising them on the importance of tree planting while also distributing seedlings to grow in schools, at home, and in other community spaces.
MEDA-F, which has been implementing various education programmes in the county for almost 30 years, proved to be an ideal strategic partner in rallying schools to engage in tree planting.
Through the 3- year initiative supported by Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) with funding from I&M Foundation, the organisation has so far led efforts to plant 92,350 trees in schools, churches, mosques, police stations and administrative offices.
Quick Figures8,503,840 the amount awarded to MEDA-F for implementation of the environmental conservation initiative by KCDF and I&M Foundation.
1,885, 900 total in-kind contributions by MEDA-F towards the project.
92,350 the number of trees planted during the three-year project period.
48 schools in Kilifi County were reached with environmental awareness sessions.
“We train learners on different topics including how to collect seeds, prepare a tree nursery, land preparation for tree planting and the process of transplanting seedlings. We encourage learners to plant trees at school and home,” reveals Jilo.
So far, learners in 48 learning institutions including 2 vocational training centres, 29 primary schools and 17 secondary schools have benefited from the training sessions.
“Here at Kaembeni we have planted tree species including moringa, neem, casuarina and gmelina arborea among others,” says Festus Mwasambu, Wildlife Club Patron at Kaembeni Secondary School.
Mwasambu who doubles up as the Chairperson of the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya in Magarini Sub County has led tree planting efforts among learners, teachers and non-teaching staff in a bid to green the school.
Through these efforts, the school has planted over 20,000 trees since 2020.
“Planting trees has improved the school’s aesthetics and given us clean and cool air. In the long run, we are hopeful that the trees will attract rainfall and mitigate the effects of climate change,” says Mwasambu.
At home, Mwasambu has planted close to 400 Casuarina trees and food trees including mangoes, cashew nuts bananas and cassava.
Impact of awareness creation
Beyond the confines of the school, learners have also taken up tree planting in their homes.
Mohamed Karisa, a form four student is one of the learners who have emerged as a champion in tree planting.
For the past three years, Karisa has planted over 300 trees at home and set up a tree nursery.
For Karisa, the motivation to plant trees has not only been to conserve the environment but also to fund his education.
Karisa sells the tree seedlings to raise his school fees. He sells each seedling between Sh100- Sh150.
To support his passion for environmental conservation, Karisa’s parents gave him half an acre of land as a way of boosting his efforts of planting trees at home.
The move by the parents was a clear demonstration of how the community is supporting environmental conservation going to the length of giving out land for tree growing.
Due to high poverty levels in the County, many learners end up dropping out of school for lack of fees.
Emily Omudho, Livelihoods, Environment and Natural Resource Management Team Lead at KCDF, terms raising young environmental champions as one of the big successes of the environmental awareness efforts.
“These champions provide hope of sustaining environmental conservation efforts beyond the project implementation period,” she says.
Karisa received a solar lantern from MEDA-F as a reward for his exemplary efforts in tree planting. Initially, Karisa relied on a makeshift lamp to study exposing him to paraffin smoke notorious for causing breathing and vision defects when used for a long time.
Now with the sun-powered solar lantern that comes with three bulbs, Karisa has found a cleaner and cheaper source of light enabling him to study for longer periods.
Source: Star E-Paper
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