Between April and December 2018, Children in the Wilderness Malawi Eco-Clubs raised 20,000 tree seedlings in its southern zone near Liwonde National Park. In the northern zone, the children participated in the Root to Fruit reforestation project, where over 20,000 seedlings were also raised and then distributed to the local communities by January 2019.
From January week one to February week two, Children from our Eco-Clubs around Liwonde National Park, with the help of their Eco-mentors (teachers), distributed 13,000 seedlings to all registered community clubs and families who wanted the trees for their fields and plots. From March to November the children (Eco-Club and YES Club members) will be involved in a Planted Trees Follow-Up Campaign, which will aim at encouraging those who planted trees to achieve a 75% and above survival rate by December this year.
“Better life comes from better environment” has been a theme for Eco-Clubs and YES Clubs around reforestation projects since 2012. As confirmed by their school principals, the reforestation projects have been a most successful effort, and since most of the schools are beneficiaries of the CITW reforestation projects, they are now surrounded with better woodlots and general vegetation cover.
Chihame is one of the top five schools demonstrating remarkable change – from a dusty, bare-ground, no shade school to a forest-rich school. “The school now has plenty of shade trees, wind-break trees, soil-protecting trees and fruit trees. During class break time, students can now eat the fruit from trees which they planted themselves, or which were planted by their brothers and sisters, who were Eco-Club members a few years ago”, said Mr Mtaya one the school’s Head Teachers.
Ten years ago: As can be seen, 95% of the school ground was just path ways. Now the school is surrounded by green vegetation; the soil has also improved noticeably as run-off water is no longer a threat, and the plants are growing much better than before.
“My 2018 tree versus my 2019 tree”. In the picture below is Kondwani Banda, an Eco-Club member with his tree at school. The A Tree For Every Student Every Year policy is working particularly well in a number of schools. Every year, each Eco-Club member plants and adopts a tree. In that way, monitoring and caring for the trees becomes a passion for the children.
Mr Master Banda of Root to Fruit is the children’s forestry expert, educator and role model in the northern zone.
