Members of Food & Trees for Africa and P&G staffers brought some tree-planting excitement to scores of Thobeka Primary School learners ahead of the International Day of Forests and Human Rights Day on Friday, which are both celebrated on March 21.
The day, which began with a bit of song and dance to get the learners in the mood, culminated in the planting of more than 20 trees during the launch of the first phase of the 1 000 Trees campaign which will be rolled out across 20 Soweto schools.
Participating learners were able to get in the thick of things as they dug up the soil and planted their own trees, with the first trees named after some of the participating learners.
“I love trees, and today was able to learn more about the importance of trees and how they help preserve the environment,” one learner told The Star after taking part in the exercise on Friday.
This year’s International Day of Forests will be celebrated under the theme: “Forests and Innovation” where members of Food and Trees for Africa alongside P&G staffers will visit 20 schools in Soweto in a bid to offset 369 tons of carbon dioxide in their lifetime.
Addressing Thobeka Primary School learners gathered at the school yard, senior HR director P&G South Africa Tarryn Allie said the campaign strongly aligns with the organisation’s values of playing a role in protecting and nurturing the environment.
“Today we come together not to only celebrate the spirit of the environment, but also the significance of Human Rights Day. It is an honour for us to be here with Food & Trees For Africa to demonstrate our commitment to be a force for growth and a force for good in communities where we operate.
“In alignment with the United Nations’ theme, ‘Forest and Innovation’ for 2024, we are also stepping up to play our part in protecting our planet and our homes. This Forest For Good initiative will see 1 000 trees, the equivalent of one forest being planted across 20 schools in selected communities starting here today,” she said.
Thobeka Primary deputy principal Manqoba Kubheka said he was grateful for the visit and the initiative, as it would help inspire his learners to be mindful of the environment and, hopefully, produce future environmentalists.
“I would like to commend the two teams who have chosen us to be part of this initiative. It is a great initiative that will give our learners a practical way of taking care of the environment. Some of our learners already know how to plant a tree through this exercise. It will also help inspire some of them to be future environmentalists. Hopefully some of them will grow to study agriculture, horticulture and other professions through this exercise,” he said.
The Star