EAST SHOA, Oromia – Members of CorpsAfrica, a volunteer organization with participants from Rwanda, Kenya, and Mali, joined Ethiopians in a substantial tree planting event today in East Shoa, aiming to plant 600 million seedlings in a single day. This massive endeavor underscores Ethiopia’s commitment to combating climate change and its effects on vulnerable communities.

According to Ethiopian News Agency, the effort is crucial for global sustainability and helps mitigate issues like soil erosion and climate change. “In Rwanda, we have a saying: if we cut down a tree, we should plant two or three to replace it,” she explained, emphasizing the importance of proactive environmental stewardship. Edith Nyawira from Kenya shared her enthusiasm for the event, noting that planting trees aligns with CorpsAfrica’s mission to foster community cooperation in environmental conservation. She highlighted Kenya’s ambitious plan to plant 1 billion saplings each year and praised the Ethiopian initiative as an invaluable learning experience. “If we don’t continue to plant trees and keep cutting them down, it will have serious consequences,” Nyawira added, stressing the urgency of the situation.

Tiyamike Memory Makulin from Mali expressed her excitement about participating in the event, emphasizing CorpsAfrica’s dedication to environmental protection through their CorpsAfrica Green initiative. “Planting trees not only helps protect the environment from soil erosion and floods but also keeps the air fresh by reducing carbon dioxide and other pollutants,” Makulin stated, underlining the initiative’s broad environmental impact.