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Tendai Rupapa Senior Reporter
ENVIRONMENTAL conservation, which entails the restoration of ecosystems and sustainable utilisation of natural resources, is essential for maintaining biodiversity, mitigating climate change and ensuring the long-term well-being of the planet and its inhabitants.
It is with this in mind that 13-year-old Ellyanne Wanjiku Chlystun from Kenya, Africa’s youngest climate and health advocate, is spearheading global environmental conservation efforts to make the world a better place for all.
Yesterday, Ellyanne, who is in the country for an exchange programme, paid a courtesy call on the First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa at her offices in the company of other local young environmental conservationists aged between 12 and 15.
Amai Mnangagwa marvelled at the zeal shown by the young environment champions towards the preservation of the environment and pledged to work with them in raising awareness.
The children said they drew inspiration from the mother of the nation who is also the country’s environmental and wildlife patron.
They described the First Lady as an environment champion who is working tirelessly to mitigate the effects of climate change by advocating the preservation of forests and the planting of trees to curb the effects of soil erosion.
During their discussions, the First Lady said it was important to open or revamp children’s parks across all provinces where trees and flowers will be planted and children from tender ages will learn conservation issues and various tree species, enhancing their appreciation of the environment.
Environment and Tourism patron First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa poses with 13-year-old Ellyanne Wanjiku Chlystun from Kenya alongside her mother Ms Dorothy Githae (far left), her Zimbabwean counterparts in advocacy for environment conservation Mirabelle Gavi, Catherine Chitengu and Tinevimbo Isaka as well as Environment, Climate and Wildlife Permanent Secretary Professor Prosper Matondi during a courtesy call at Zimbabwe House yesterday. – Pictures: John Manzongo
Following the meeting, Amai Mnangagwa said in conjunction with the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, she will engage school children to participate in the restoration of the parks together with Ellyanne before she leaves the country.
The First Lady and the young champions proposed a total ban on plastic packaging used in shops in favour of environmentally friendly options.
Ellyanne is a brave environment enthusiast and is undoubtedly one of the unsung heroines.
She was four-years-old and in kindergarten when she decided she wanted to be an environmentalist.
So far, aged 13 years, she says she has helped to plant 1,3 million trees earning her Kenya’s prestigious Eco-Warrior award, the youngest Paul Harris Fellow, nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize 2023.
Inspired by Wangari Maathai, Ellyanne addresses climate change’s impact on vulnerable communities and young people through positive action.
Last year, she became a Zero Malaria ambassador, highlighting climate change’s role in malaria challenges, starring in an international campaign with fellow Zero Malaria Ambassador David Beckham.
On the sidelines of the Africa Climate Summit she led a committee of 17 children from around the world, in putting together the first ever child-led Global Children Climate Summit, which ran from August 31 to September 2, 2023 ahead of the Africa Climate Summit.
Environment and Tourism patron First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa poses for a photograph with Africa’s youngest climate and health advocate 13-year-old Ellyanne Wanjiku Chlystun from Kenya (second from left) and Zimbabwean environment protection enthusiasts Mirabelle Gavi, Catherine Chitengu and Tinevimbo Isaka during a courtesy call at Zimbabwe House yesterday
As the co-founder and CEO of Children With Nature (CWN), Ellyanne promotes connecting children with the natural world.
Her advocacy extends globally, influencing policymakers and leaders, driving a paradigm shift for a more sustainable equitable world.
She however intends to rope in other youngsters from Zimbabwe in her environment campaign.
The mother of the nation, who has a passion for young children accorded the children a warm welcome and discussed with them matters concerning environmental conservation.
She said she was touched by their young ages and expressed confidence that the children would do more to ease the effects of climate change and foster environmental protection in the communities.
“Because of the climate change that we are in, you are in the right direction for your country, for the generation to come and also for preservation of what we have now and continuing to plant more trees. I wish in Zimbabwe we had so many children like you who are in this.
“I know after this exchange programme, more children will play a part. I want to thank God that he put a spirit in you to lead because as you know that vegetation is life, is history, is generational. If we have many of you doing this in our country, we will not go wrong and we will not feel the climate change at all,” the mother of the nation said.
“Right now the danger that we have is climate change has hit us so badly. Erratic rainfall, people are cutting down trees, they are burning grass. Some are chasing mice and they burn grass. Sometimes you do not even catch the mice because the grass is burnt to the extent that some people are losing lives.
“Because if it’s veld fire you can imagine there is no one who can stop that fire. Here in Zimbabwe we want to go around schools to talk about the conservation of our forests.
“This will also help our children. If you look at our children, they are indulged in social ills. They are taking drugs and some of them are pregnant, out of school, you see that is the end of their lives. So you girls I want to see you doing well and work with my office encouraging your mates to participate.
“ This is my first time seeing you but you always see me planting trees in the forests and communities. When I go out I always say ambuya, sekuru all of us let’s go in that forest and we plant trees together.
“We are doing it in the no man’s land because that is where they are going and cutting trees without replacing them,” she said.
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa engages 13-year-old Ellyanne Wanjiku Chlystun from Kenya, her mother Ms Dorothy Githae (far left), Zimbabwean counterparts Mirabelle Gavi, Catherine Chitengu and Tinevimbo Isaka and Environment, Climate and Wildlife Permanent Secretary Professor Prosper Matondi at Zimbabwe House yesterday
Amai Mnangagwa highlighted the educational value of involving children in conservation issues.
“This is very educational to them that if you cut make sure that you plant. So it’s a mammoth task for everyone but what makes me so happy is the ages here today.
“We should thank our daughter (Ellyanne) here who is going around countries to educate people, even us as elders and her age group, it’s very important.
“Now what I want to see happening is before she leaves, we make sure we have come up with some teams. You pick some girls and boys from different schools and make teams. Then together with those groups we plant the trees.
This encourages our children to plant trees whenever they get an opportunity. We are trying to instil discipline in them and we get our children to work. If they see their age group doing it we are able to see many of them joining in. We want to make sure that every child knows what is important,” she said.
Dr Mnangagwa spoke about the huge benefits of trees to humankind.
“Remember from these trees we get a lot of things, trees are life. Our wild animals survive on this grass and trees. We want them to beautify our country also.
“We want the leaves, the barks and roots for medicine, so why are we destroying them because some of them we will never see them again? We need to preserve what is there and continue growing more.
“This, as Africans, it goes with us in our history and in our lives. You find some of the wild animals, its us who should look after those animals. We should do more to protect our wildlife.
“Not doing more by cutting and burning grass but doing the correct thing. I am very happy that my daughter is here today talking about planting trees. We are also doing a lot in Zimbabwe,” she said.
So charmed was Ellyanne to meet the First Lady and getting the opportunity to sit down with her for a chat.
“The honour of being able to meet the First Lady of Zimbabwe, also known as Amai, the environmentalist of Zimbabwe was really amazing. I was really inspired by her and I loved the fact that she takes action and she wants to see children like me developing and making Africa a better place.
“This meeting was really amazing. There are a lot of ideas that have come through and Amai has shown a lot of seriousness when it comes to environment issues. She is a woman of her words, a woman of action. I hope to see a lot of children being inspired by her,” she said.
Ellyanne recounted how she started out.
“I started at the age of four and I was in kindergarten and I was doing a project about heroes. I really fell in love with what Wangari Maari was doing so I started planting trees.
“I planted one tree in our garden and they became 10, 10 became 30 and so far now I have planted 1,3 million trees and I want to plant more by the time I turn 18. I really want other kids to know how I did it and why I did it so that they have a passion for it,” she said.
Ellyanne implored other kids to follow their passion and do things that would help improve their motherland and other countries that are in need.
“To all the kids out there be authentically yourself and be humble. If you are in a space like me where I have met a lot of world leaders and learn a lot of big things, make sure you stay humble because no one likes a person who is showing off in a bad way or is being rude to people,” she said.
Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife Professor Prosper Matondi spoke glowingly about the First Lady’s involvement in tree-planting and conservation.
“It is a real pleasure to be here to discuss with Amai a variety of programmes with her and the children and for children.
“The world belongs to the future children and this programme that we have and going around in Zimbabwe led by Amai, is ensuring that planet earth benefits from the programmes on environmental protection, safety and the health of our population.
“In the discussion today, there were quite a number of issues that we touched on but chief among them was how to create headway towards forest planting and we need to involve and put the children in the forefront and by doing so we make sure that the future is guaranteed.
“There are over 9 000 schools in the country and if we are able to reach the 9 000 schools we have about 60 percent of our young people in the schools we then create a huge headway in addressing some of the challenges we face deforestation and land degradation and it requires solutions.
“We noted in the last four years the First Lady has been going together with our ministry in tree planting not just in schools but also in communities. But more importantly, even in forests.
“So we have a programme with her that we call forests4she that complements some of the work that she does in agriculture and in health. That interface is very crucial and Amai wants to use that as a basis for creating a children’s park that will create a lot of other benefits besides just benefiting from trees, a park for happiness.
“A park that brings souls together where you can go and read a book and various things that you can do. If we are able to do that in Harare that we are planning starting next week,” he said.
Local environmental enthusiast were charmed by yesterday’s meeting with the First Lady and Ellyane.
Catherine Chitengu from Highfield High One, was over the moon.
“I am taking a deep breadth as a sign of relief because for a child to meet up with a mother to discuss and come out with solutions, it is my greatest pleasure and I would like to thank Dr Mnangagwa for this pleasant opportunity.
“I would like to thank Amai for the opportunity that she has given us to go in schools and educate my fellow students about advocating for the environment and protecting the environment.
“Now we also want to thank her for the initiative of opening a children’s park, a park that will inspire many young people like me. A park that will involve many young people in activities that will help improve their livelihood. Thank you Amai for the opportunity.
“I am looking forward to it and I hope my fellow students and my fellow youths are aso excited as his Excellency, the President always says nyika inovakwa nevene vayo I see it as an opportunity to build my country. I see it as an opportunity to stand up for Zimbabwe and do a lot of things for Zimbabwe.
“The earth needs us to be bold to protect it against various activities. I thank you Amai for you have given me the confidence to go out there is schools and boldly advocate for my environment. I will also boldly raise the flag of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe will become a clean country,” she said happily.
Equally elated was Mebo Ruvarashe Gavi, the junior mayor of Epworth who said she was looking forward to becoming an advocate on environmental management.
“I thank the First Lady for the opportunity and meeting we had with her today. It was a very great interaction and we learnt a lot of things from her. She is also an environmental champion and is making a lot of steps towards environmental management and making change in Zimbabwe.
“I thank her for the opportunity that she has granted us to meet the environmental ambassador from Kenya. It really means a lot to us and we learnt a lot from her.
“We are very grateful for having her in Zimbabwe. We learnt a lot that we are going to implement and change in Zimbabwe. In Epworth I am going to make sure that I promote the growing of trees. Epworth is very bare, we do not have trees in Epworth.
“By meeting this ambassador from Kenya and also meeting the First Lady today I would like to make initiatives in Epworth. I would want to make sure that Epworth is looked at when we want to illustrate environmental management.
“When we want to tell people about environmental management we can take Epworth as an example. I have been really looking as to really what I can be an advocate for.
“Right now I want to be an advocate for environmental management so I am looking forward to more of these meetings, especially meeting with influential people and people who are at it like the First Lady and people like Ellyanne.
“It really means a lot and I have learned a lot from them and I would like to make a lot of change in Epworth in Zimbabwe and make Epworth, make Africa and the whole world a better place on environmental management ,” she said.
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