Pupils at Kasasa School in Dwangwa planted about one hundred tree seedlings recently during the 2015 tree planting season in order to fight floods which have wreaked havoc in the country.
Since the onset of the rain season this year, floods have killed over one hundred and seventy six people and displaced one hundred and seventy five in fifteen districts in Malawi.
In order to fight floods and conserve the environment around Dwangwa, the Illovo Environmental Department donated about one hundred tree seedlings to the School.
Speaking at the function, the Environmental Supervisor at Illovo, Kingsley Kachigamba, said that in order to reduce floods, they plan to plant about 15000 seedlings and they thought it wise that pupils at Kasasa school should help in the exercise.
“This tree planting season, we are planting 15000 tree seedlings and we have embarked on a campaign to sensitive the communities on the need to conserve the environment,” Kachigamba said.
He also said that last year floods swept one of the Illovo cane fields at Nyamuvuu and the field remains unused.
Speaking at the same function, the guest of honour, Matson Mtambo, appealed to the pupils to take care of the one hundred tree seedlings which they planted.
“Take care of these trees. It pains me to see that every year we plant millions of trees but we can’t see them today,” Said Mtambo, who is Human Resources Manager (Administration) at Illovo.
Mtambo said that millions of trees were planted along the zalewa road
but they were not taken care of and many of them died.
Mtambo also said that it is very important that children should take part in tree planting exercise in order to instill in them the spirit of conserving the environment.
“If they start planting trees at a tender age, they will grow up with the idea that trees are important hence the need to conserve them,” he added.
The pupils, aged between five and ten, received a donation of tree seedlings from Illovo and they were very happy to have a chance of planting trees.
“I am happy that for the first time in my life I have planted a tree. I promise to take care of it as long as I am here,” said Racheal Ndalamira, the head girl at the school.
“I thank Illovo for donating the seedlings to us. I appeal to my friends to take care of the trees we have planted to day so that they grow,” added Felix Mhango the head boy.
The Head teacher at the school, Chris Luhanga, thanked Illovo for donating the seedlings.
