BLOG ARTICLES APRIL, 2012

ROOTS & SHOOTS -ARUSHA

BLOG ARTICLES APRIL, 2012

1     1.   Roots & Shoots is proud to become the champion of Christmas fair for establishments and promotion of Tree nurseries and planting in Arusha municipality through a vast network of its clubs.  Under this sponsorship, the office in Arusha has conducted practical hands on training on how to establish tree nurseries to 7 secondary schools around Arusha. The training focused at developing skills and altitudes to the Roots & Shoots members on how to collect seeds, which to collect seeds to the trees, when to collect, how to organize polythen tubes, preparing tubes, soil mixing, potting, sowing, seed treating and general nursery management. Clubs have received the materials and potting is underway at St. Joseph Ngarenaro Girls, Ilboru, Ngongongare, Ngarenaro and Lowasa Secondary Schools. Other schools doing tree nurseries in Arusha include Mringa secondary, Elerai Secondary, Joseph Primary, Burka and Azimio primary Schools.

   2.   On 1^st, April, 2012 Tanzania marks a tree planting day; in order to promote tree planting spirits to the public. Roots & Shoots, as one of Government`s agent supported these government efforts by inspiring members to carry out public planting. On 13^th, April, 2012; 23 Roots & Shoots members from JR-Institute of Information Technology Arusha conducted a public planting at orolieni ward office areas. This place is one of the few remaining watershed and open areas, and in order for community members to understand the values of trees and the importance of tree planting, this activity was inaugurated by the mayor of Arusha municipality Hon.Gaudence Lymo. Honorable Lymo commanded the work of Roots & Shoots clubs in Arusha and invited members and leaders to educated members of Arusha fully council at the municipal and promised support at anytime should Roots & Shoots needs. Members were lead by the Regional Chairman Mr. Kleruu Sumaye, R&S Patron Mr. Bosco Anyitike; Coordinator Mr. Japhet, and a team of government officials (Ward executive Officer, Municipal Environmental Officer, ward chancellors, and local government leaders in the areas) where 190 trees of different species were planting in order to provide shade, timber, flowers, and protection of watersheds.

  3.   In order to bring children into direct engagement of, inspiring and empowerment on the plights of their Country`s environments and community issues, Arusha Roots & Shoots secretariat has facilitated children`s environmental education video film shows on a title “Mama mazingira yangu, mazingira yetu” in order to provide children with the deep understanding on the values of environments, the status of environmental degradations and options they can take forwards to mitigate these environmental problems. In this programme 26 members from Azimio primary schools attended. At the end of the programme members were asked to think of and write/draw something they think people should do to protect the environments. 26 Beautiful articles were collected in order of compiling an environmental education children`s book.

    4.   Roots & Shoots at St. Constantine International School have become actively involved at ensuring that Jane Goodall`s Roots & Shoots Programme office becomes the most up-to-date and a well functioning office in Tanzania. With the most effective and successful projects; St. Constantine International School club started to setting the office with furniture’s, catterns, and stationeries’, then they funded the Roots & Shoots graduation ceremony where 11 clubs in Arusha participated, marking this event one of its kind; of which its accomplishment resulted into having Mr. Donald Curnado (Organizer and club patron) being promoted as a school event organizer. In order for this club to make positive changes to happen for the better and best environments (participate in conservation projects) the club has decided to carry out partnerships in Understanding with Lowasa and Ngongongare Secondary Schools. In this efforts, the club has supported partner clubs with 2-water tanks (1000litres) so that these partner clubs can harvest rain water and store water to promote tree nurseries in their schools and quensequently benefit the surrounding communities.

ARUSHA MAYOR CHAMPIONS A YOUTH TREE PLANTING CAMPAIGN

ARUSHA MAYOR CHAMPIONS A YOUTH TREE PLANTING CAMPAIGN

The Mayor of Arusha municipality; honorable Gaudence Lymo has commanded  JR-Institute of information Technology of Arusha by its efforts to inspire young people to take compassionate actions to wards conserving the environments in Arusha. Championing a special inauguration of youth`s tree planting campaigns in Arusha Hon. Lymo called upon volunteer spirits among the young people in  Arusha through these types of service learning and community support. He asked them to support communities by educating them through voluntary services such as tree planting, waste managements, flowerings and vegetable gardening in groups in order for the municipal to support them. He said the municipal has funding, to support self initiated projects, and youths are the prime target, so by volunteering, youths of Arusha can become self employed so they become the main workforce to the national. The activity was organized on Friday 13<sup>th</sup>, April, 2012; by Jane Goodall`s Roots & Shoots Arusha, a world wide environmental and humanitarian education club for youth in primary, secondary and college students, where 23 JR-College students, members of this Jane Goodall Voluntary club participate to recover pristine vegetation in one of the Arusha`s watershed areas.

Speaking at the event, Jane Goodall`s Roots & Shoots Coordinator; Mr. Japhet Jonas said his office, in collaboration with JR-Institute have joined the government`s efforts to promote tree planting in Tanzania. He said, the government has declared 1^st, April each year as a tree planting day, where people at different cadres from families, communities, departments, local to national level are inspired to carry out tree planting by means of boundary planting, creating natural regenerations, tree nursery establishments, forest plantations etc.

He said Tanzania has about 34million hectares of forests; but the rate of 400,000hecters being slashed each years can not be left to the government alone because the impact affects everyone. He said today Arusha is facing a serious problem of draught, especially in areas such simanjiro, monduli and other places, yet there are prolonged tones of charcoals coming to Arusha each day. No body is thinking of where are these Charcoal tones coming from, who is causing this and who is using these charcoal and whether there is a balance between the trees being cut and those being planted. During rain seasons, the lower places in the city are usually prune to floods. All these are environmental calamities demanding the tree planting as a sole solution.  He said his Institute inspires young people to understand that trees are the main solutions for environmental change by providing medicines, flowers, timbers, fuel wood, shade, fruits, fodder, and rains and are potential for soil conservation and water catchments. “Once these young naturalists understand, they will be inspired to establish tree nurseries, carry out voluntary planting and promote silviculture and pomology in Arusha”. He emphasized.

He said people in Arusha town are planting trees for attractions, fence, shade, and fruits and this forms   a valuable part of our natural heritage, regardless of challenging environments for these planted trees. In some suburbs still inhabitants make use of trees for boma strengthening, housing construction and entrepreneurs are making furniture’s out of use of tree products. Schools are protecting buildings using trees and are also making use of flowering species for decorations, fencing and environmental teachings. “Jane Goodall`s Roots & Shoots - Arusha believes that Tanzania is a country with astonishing biodiversity and vast environmental resources, but that natural heritage is seriously endangered by a general lack of education, awareness and information which needs to be culturally communicated to the public, to respond to the needs of a rapidly growing population.  Education about, awareness of and engagement in environmental issues to the young people would only be absolutely vital to ensure that the country develops its economy in a way that it manages to preserve and sustain the environments, while improving the livelihoods of the Tanzanian people”. Said Mr. Japhet

Speaking at the event, the Roots & Shoots regional Chairman, Mr. Kleruu Sumaye, said his club has established tree nurseries in 11 Primary and Secondary Schools around Arusha where 32000 seedlings have been raised to comprise tree species of indigenous, naturalized, flowering and agro-forestry species potential for public and school planting. He said students are trained on how to collect seeds, treat seeds, sow, carry tube potting and day to day`s nursery managements. “We will invite the Arusha community members to take trees and show them how to plant, when to plant and where to plant. In this way we will be able to assist the nation with tree planting efforts and so we will make changes to happen by ensuring that students and members of the public in Arusha become environmentally sensitive. By so doing we are sure of starting to see that environments becomes one of the priority agenda in people`s day to day`s life”. He concluded.

CHANGES BEGIN WITH ME.. MARCH 2012 SYMPOSIUM