Spreading the Green Love

The environment today has been facing many challenges, with deforestation being one of them. Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe Trust has been on a drive to restore the degraded environment, through afforestation and reforestation efforts. Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe Trust is not only driven by the love of the environment but also the love of the people in the communities around which these trees have been planted. Tree planting in various schools in Marange communities, has opened dialogue about societal issue prevalent in the area.

Marange is in the Manicaland region of Zimbabwe, tied by the chains of poverty. Young girls have not only endured early marriages, but they have recorded the highest number of school drop outs. So dire is their plight that their harsh economic backgrounds have not even accorded them a chance to make use of the right sanitation during every month’s nature call.

Being a pillar of hope to the environment and the people in it, Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe Trust decided to take their tree planting projects to Marange’s Chikuku Primary School. Met by a zealous group of pupils, staff and community members, a tree planting session was successfully carried out providing a platform for an interaction between stakeholders present and planting forty (40) trees at the teacher’s quarters. Staff members present for the tree planting included the Deputy Headmaster Bhasopo and Mr. Munopfukutwa.

Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe Trust emphasized the need for the community to safeguard their environment that can come to their aid through the harvesting of non-timber products for food and entrepreneurship. More-so, the organization echoed the need to protect the environment through afforestation for a sustainable environment that can sustain the community’s firewood and timber needs.

The tree planting session provided a fertile opportunity for the community to discuss problems they face as a community and possible solutions , with the need to abolish child marriages and upholding the girl child’s right to education, being the most anchored.