News South Africa

Greenpop's Trees for Zambia project is making progress

Greenpop's Trees for Zambia project is one week in and a lot has already happened. During this week 1 319 trees were planted while seven schools received trees and education. 100 fruit trees and 100 Fardherbia Albida trees were also planted with a group of 20 subsistence farmers. The Conservation Farming Unit sent their representative, Gibson Simosokwe, from Lusaka to train the farmers and the volunteers on a technique which enriches the soil and facilitates higher crop yields by planting trees within fields.

A handmade solar cooker has been made with each school and farmer group to demonstrate that almost everything needed to make a working solar cooker can be found and thus it is one of the cheapest and resource efficient methods of cooking.

Project is endorsed

At the NSongwe village 775 trees were planted with a women's group in one day at a protected vegetable gardening site that was set up by Sun International. His Royale Highness senior chief Mukuni, accompanied by the district commissioner of Kazungula and the council secretary joined the planting day in NSongwe village, addressed the women's group and volunteers and endorsed Greenpop's tree planting and education project in Zambia. He welcomed the team to his village, acknowledged the need for trees as a result of cutting for charcoal and wooden curio making in the area, talked about the possible desertification in Zambia and even planted a tree himself.

Greenpop called a meeting for all interested Zambian volunteers and 100 people signed up to join the tree planting days in the next three weeks. During the meeting the volunteers decided that this type of sharing on the future of the environment around Livingstone was very valuable. A board was selected and a new green forum for Livingstone was set up. The new forum, Green Action Zambia will work in association Greenpop to continue education, monitor trees, plant more trees and set up workshops.

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