By Erick Nyayiera
Public schools in Bondo Constituency have benefitted from a programme that targets to plant thousands of trees in a move to boost the forest cover in the area.
The Trees for Schools programme is facilitated by an educational expert and technical advisor of Regional Education and Learning Initiative (RELI) Thomas Andiwo Obondoh.
His ‘Environment and Climate change campaign’ has been alive for 2 years and has partners including the forest department and other climate change actors.
‘We would like to contribute to raise the forest cover in Siaya county from the current 0.47% to the 10% recommended minimum. So far, we have planted over 15,000 trees in schools. Through the ‘adopt a tree’ policy, every child is responsible for a tree,’ Andiwo stated.
The program targets to cover 150 schools, mostly primary, by 2022.
Dedan Olao, a forestry expert and a member of Kenya Forest Service Board, noted that the program has identified suitable species of trees with value to the community in terms of helping the locals have alternative source of income.
‘The adopt a tree methodology by school children is the only sure way to achieve the expected forest cover since children have all the time to care for the trees and can replicate the same back at home,’ he said.
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