Jacaranda School learners help plant Jacaranda trees along Chileka-Magalasi Road

Posing before one of the Jacaranda trees planted

* The kids enjoyed the exercise and a nice bus ride all the way from their base in Chugumula

* This inculcates a good culture of tree planting amongst kids which will be enriched as they grow up

* Some of the trees were planted by car selling vendors stationed just after Nyambadwe People’s supermarket

By Duncan Mlanjira

After seen an alert by private seedlings developer, Mapopa William Banda inviting the general public on social media to join him in planting Jacaranda trees along Chileka-Magalasi Road, founder of Jacaranda School for Orphans, Marie Da Silva sent 22 of her learners to take part.

William Banda said it was such a pleasant surprise when Da Silva called to ask if she could send some of her learners and it finally became a huge blessing because they are the ones who planted more trees of the 180 trees earmarked from Nyambadwe Filling Station to Magalasi roundabout.

Some of the trees were planted by car selling vendors stationed just after Nyambadwe People’s supermarket as well as curious passers by.

One of the car sellers, Lawrence Sambani pledged to be taking care of the trees along their stretch by watering and adding manure.

William Banda said he requested Blantyre City Council if they could allocate him a place he could plant trees and they suggested along Chileka-Magalasi Road and asked if they could be Jacaranda.

“How I wish I could have provided more because the kids enjoyed the exercise and a nice bus ride all the way from their base in Chugumula but I only had 180 Jacaranda trees available.

“I must thank Marie for her gesture — this inculcates a good culture of tree planting amongst kids which will be enriched as they grow up.”

In 2019, Jacaranda School ended their first term for the Christmas holidays in unique style by being presented with trees to plant at their homes in the spirit of inculcating tree planting culture as well as impress on them on preserving the environment.

Each year, Santa Claus visits the school where he usually gives the children sweets and other small gifts, but in 2019 Jacaranda School management asked Santa Claus to bring indigenous trees instead of toys and sweets.

Da Silva had said management came up with the idea to impress the learners of the effects and dangers of climate change around the world and especially in Malawi.

She told the learners that there are fewer forests now due to the cutting down of forests for firewood but there is need to be replacing them since the country over relies on wood fuel.

Jacaranda School plants more than 5,000 trees each year and for the 2019 exercise over 428 trees were distributed, representing the enrollment number of learners in primary and secondary school — they are supplied by Mapopa William Banda.

On Monday this week, Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources, Nancy Tembo urged the public to embrace the spirit of tree planting without waiting to be officially reminded.

The Minister made the remarks during a tree planting exercise which was organized by Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) and Trocaire at the catchment area of Lilongwe River situated at Katete Farm in Lilongwe, saying trees are vital to everyday human life, hence it was everyone’s responsibility to take part in tree planting.

“It is everybody’s responsibility to plant trees,” she said. “We all need tree for fuel wood, oxygen, construction and we all need trees for almost everything which we do every day.

“In fact, we need trees more than trees need us. We cannot spend a day without using something made from trees. Trees also help to conserve environment and make sure that we have adequate water.”