Report - Tree Planting

Kamwilo

TREE PLANTING Mtuza

Trees are a valuable renewable natural resource. They provide oxygen for us to live. They maintain and improve soil fertility, and provide protection from sun, wind and heavy raindrops. Trees also yield a great range of important products, play a crucial role not only in many farming systems but also socio-economic development, form the base of the food-chain and provide medicines. Their presence is clearly essential for the survival of people and animals.

Despite these many vital roles, trees continue to disappear about ten times faster than they are replaced, which threatens the life-support systems of many communities.

There is a serious need to conserve forests in Malawi.

At the current rate of population growth the demand for forest resources will soon outstrip supply, leaving vast areas of bare, infertile land which gradually revert to desert.

The Malawian forests have been depleted through timber harvesting, charcoal burning, fuel wood and clearance of space for people to produce their crops.

The negative impact of this destruction on Natural resources and environment cannot be measured.

One of our projects concerning climate change awareness and reforestation involved the plantation of hundreds of trees around the 12 schools that we assist and the communities around.

BAWA

CHASATO

We identified this project as a priority not only because of the increasing environmental degradation, with rapid deforestation, extensive soil erosion and declining agroforestry production but also we want to provide an alternative food crop for children that for several reasons can’t get a nutritious meal in their home. So, we decided to invest in fruit trees and species that are water friendly and those that have bio-medicinal value – Moringa, pawpaw, guava, mango, avocado.

Pawpaws, Mangos, Guavas – contain different vitamins and minerals that: protect us from infection and disease, keep our eyes, skin, teeth, and hair healthy, and so on.

Moringa – the leaves are extremely nutritious. In fact, they contain larger amounts of several important nutrients than the common foods often associated with these nutrients. : For instance, more calcium than milk, more vitamin A than carrots, more vitamin C than oranges, etc.

Avodado – healthy source of fat and provide other nutrients too. They give more fuel than the carbohydrates and they are easy for our bodies to store for later use.

CHAMPETA

CHATONDA

In every school we start introducing our action, explaining to the learners the following topics:      

The importance of the trees.

Their role in our planet.

How a tree should be planted, step by step.

Carbon Cycle and Photosynthetic process.

The value of forest.

The effect of deforestation and how it will affect our quality of life in future.

KAMWILO

KAZOMBA

The planting trees project was jointly carried out with the students and headmasters of the each primary schools.

LUPUHA

MBWIRIWIZA

Monitoring of this project will be conducted by us and by the headmasters.

Reports will monitor how inputs are being made.

Evaluation will take place at the end of the project period.

Data will be collected by measuring outputs. Data will be used to address problems, recommend changes and measure the progress made towards achieving objectives.

MTUZA

Possible operational and performance indicators to monitor progress will include:     

Number of students involved in tree planting and in the lessons The number of tree seedlings planted during the evaluation period Number of tree seedlings with fencing around Number of tree seedlings with mulching Survival of the tree seedlings until the end of our project period.

THUNDWE

ULIDA

WATEREKA

We believe that children should develop affection for trees by taking care of them. Small actions, like planting trees, can create a great impact for future generations. Not only the students learn from the action but also later they can harvest the fruits of their work.

These actions were made possible because of the Transport Office’s cooperation on distributing the seedlings.