09 Apr 2015

Friends of the environment, a non-governmental organisation-based in Zimbabwe in partnership with the Botswana Embassy in Zimbabwe has donated 1 000 trees to the North East District. 


Speaking at the handing over ceremony in Masunga on April 8, the project coordinator for the organisation, Ms Patience Fusire explained that they had come to share their vision of protecting the environment with the North East District.

Ms Fusire noted that although people’s lives depended on the environment, often it was people who tended to destroy it.


And without proper care and management of the environment, she said, lives were going to be terribly affected, adding that as Friends of the Environment, they found it important to spread awareness messages on conservation and management of the environment.


She highlighted that they started the organisation after realising that in their country, over 300 000 tonnes of trees were being destroyed annually. And with the environment being exposed to all kinds of pollution, they decided to take action and make a difference.


She, therefore, noted that they developed three strategies which they believed and hoped would send messages to the people to see the importance of protecting their surroundings.

Among such strategies, she stated, was to have nurseries in schools as way of instilling the culture of tree planting in students and youth so that even at old age, they could still understand the importance of protecting the environment.


Furthermore, she appealed to the district to join them at the end of the year when they will be marching from Bulawayo to Plumtree for three days with the aim of encouraging people to change their behaviour towards their environment, a change which will be benefit them as well.


Appreciating the gesture, Botswana’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Kenny Kapinga said it was a symbolic gesture which their partners, the Friends of Environment have brought to Botswana, adding that it is rare to find trees donations from one country to other.

The ambassador urged Batswana to uphold the gesture as it has a significant meaning to the country. 
Mr Kapinga stated  that their relationship started some time last year when together during Botswana’s independence celebration they planted trees at a children’s orphanage villages in Harare.

“It was at this event that the idea of extending the relationship further came hence we liaised with North East to bring the change in environment,” he said. 
To bring 1000 trees for donation to Botswana, Mr Kapinga said, was a great effort from the organisation and implored those who will be given them to see it as something special which will bring a positive impact in the lives of Batswana in general.


For her part, Senior technical assistant for Forestry and Range Resources, Ms Barulaganye Kgosietsile said the gesture came at the most opportune time when as a department they were working on rehabilitating some areas in North East.

She noted that most of the areas amongst them Mapoka and Vukwi face challenges of land degradation and said that it is through various measures of rehabilitation such as tree planting that they are currently trying to normalise the situation.

She therefore noted that the department is going to provide technical support to the beneficiaries for them to realize the benefits derived from the 1000 trees.  ENDS