School club receive trees

16.00

Thokozile Mbedzi

CHILDREN of Hope TREE planting club at Mzilikazi High School in Bulawayo has received trees to further its quest to increase biodiversity in the environment.

lsandla esihle and Zimbabwe youth Biodiversity network environment outreach donated the trees on Wednesday. Zimbabwe youth Biodiversity network environment outreach steering committee member, Ms Jane Zibusiso Nkiwane, said the donation was in line with the biodiversity awareness programme that the organisation was spreading countrywide.

“All the earth’s species work together to survive and maintain the ecosystem. “As living beings we are co-dependant on each other. “Due to cutting down of trees, clearing land, cutting down trees for firewood, timber we have destroyed the natural habitat there is need for us as youth to conserve our biodiversity with future generations in mind,” said Ms Nkiwane.

She said since Independence in 1980, Zimbabwe has designated the first Saturday of December as a national tree planting day to inspire the nation to plant and protect trees, promote biodiversity and guarantee food security.

“ln an effort to raise awareness on nature conservation we have partnered with lsandla Esihle to donate a variety of trees to the school, a refuse bin, and bin liners to help manage waste and diversify the ecosystem,” said Ms Nkiwane.

Ms Joyleen Musayike and the 2 patrons of the club Ms Joy Mgundzwa and Ms Trina Hove who are teachers at Mzilikazi High School said the donation has enabled them to revive their orchard. “We are now reviving our garden and orchard after we were affected by covid 19.

“We have a club called children of hope and we used to grow vegetables and sell to our staff and community. “We used the money we raised to buy books for club members and other children at the school. “These trees came at the right time when we were reviving our orchard.

We are grateful to the Zimbabwe youth biodiversity network environment outreach and lsandla esihle for honouring us as Mzilikazi high school,” said one of the patrons.

National tree Ambassador of Zimbabwe Mr Never Bonde who was the guest of honour and is also the director of lsandla esihle said: “Biodiversity refers to a variety of living creatures on earth including plants, animals, bacteria, fungi and humans that inclusively make the ecosystem.

“Most disease nowadays are a result of negligence in this ecosystem. The most promising solutions to these catastrophic issues are prevention,restoring degraded ecosystem, which could provide up to one third of the climate mitigation needed to keep the earth from warming too far above pre- industrial levels.

“Today we are going to exercise one the preservations which is afforestation through tree planting and l encourage everyone present here to take steps to bringing a positive change to the environment, ” said Mr Bonde.