As the country prepares to participate in a national tree-growing campaign slated for Monday next week, a youth group in Uasin Gishu is seeking support to take part in the exercise as a way to contribute to climate action.
Vijana Umoja Pamoja Foundation, a Youth-led organization formed in 2008 and registered in 2012 with a broad youth network in Nandi and Uasin Gishu counties.
Under one of its key pillars, Youth Development and Environment with particular interest in Natural Resources Management and Livelihoods, the foundation has established tree nurseries in Mosop subcounty and Moiben sub-county with the main goal of addressing climate change in the country.
Speaking to the Kenya News Agency, Vijana Umoja Pamoja Environment Coordinator, Miss Faith Yator commended the government’s move to plant 15 billion trees by 2030 to fight climate change, noting that it was a key opportunity for the majority of the unemployed youth through the support of government and other stakeholders to take part in the climate action plan.
She added that the youth groups and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) need to be supported to establish their own tree and fruit nurseries through which they can earn income to improve their livelihoods through selling of the seedlings.
“If the government has set Monday, November 13, 2023, as a public holiday for tree planting, it is high time the youth groups across the country should be mobilized to get prepared to take part in the initiative. The government should not only consider purchasing seedlings from state agencies but also support and buy from local nurseries established by residents as a way to support them to earn income,” she said.
Miss Yator pointed out that the organization is further involved in pro-poor green approaches that seeks to uplift young people out of poverty. She added that the foundation seeks to advance green economies by setting up the two tree nurseries in Uasin Gishu and Nandi Counties where young people have been given job opportunities as green champions.
“In total, we have 250,000 seedlings. 100,000 seedlings ready for transplanting during this tree planting holiday,” said Miss Yator.
She indicated that the tree species in the said nurseries with over 250,000 seedlings, include Gravellia, Cypress, Cedar (locally known as Tarakwet), Croton Megalocarpus (Masineitet), Prunus Africana (Tendwet), Syzygium cumini (Lamaiywet), Cordia Abuzinica (Samutet), Bridelia (Chemakaldet), Makhamia Lutea (Mobet), Acacia and Croton Macrostachyia (Tebeswet).
The project coordinator said that the youth should utilize government initiatives like the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action Program (FLLOCA), hustler funds, Biashara loans, and others to invest in tree nurseries to help fight climate change, earn income and employment as well.
She called on Youth associations to be innovative to take various steps towards climate action like the Vijana Umoja Pamoja which has come up with a project under dubbed green ambassadors, where young children are involved and trained on matters of environment.
In the programme, they are trying to reduce pollution by recycling used milk packets to make tree seedling potting bags instead of littering the environment.
“In our climate sustainability activities recycling of waste, we involve the children, the green ambassadors, to collect the used milk packets, clean them and through the help of a few individuals we fill the packets with soil and plant the seedlings,” she explained.
“With this two-month holiday we should involve the school children in Climate action, to plant trees during this short rainy season,” added Miss Yator.
By Ekuwam Sylvester
