PPF and Nakuru County Government Partner to Green Over 1,000 Schools

Nakuru, Kenya – The Planet Patron Foundation (PPF), in collaboration with the Nakuru County Government, has initiated an ambitious afforestation program to green approximately 550 hectares of land occupied by schools. This initiative aims to engage young learners in the fight against global warming and climate change while instilling environmental conservation skills from an early age.

According to a news release by the Kenya News Agency, Dr. Samuel Mwaura, emphasized the significance of this initiative in combating the adverse effects of climate change. Speaking at Langalanga Primary School during a tree planting exercise, Dr. Mwaura explained that the program will extend to over 1,000 schools and adjacent farmlands across the county. Its primary objective is to support crop and livestock production by restoring degraded landscapes.

Dr. Mwaura stressed the importance of achieving a ten percent forest cover in the county and called on other institutions to follow suit. He encouraged teachers and parents to motivate pupils to plant trees on their birthdays, aligning with the county’s goal of planting 15 billion seedlings by 3032.

The County Secretary revealed that 1,000 trees have already been planted through similar initiatives across Nakuru’s 11 sub-counties. He urged youth and women to acquire skills in tree nursery management, emphasizing the potential for large-scale tree seedling production as a business opportunity that contributes to environmental restoration.

PPF Executive Director and nominated MCA, Wanjiku Njoroge, highlighted that the initiative not only aims to conserve the environment but also raise awareness about mental health among teachers and students in participating schools. The campaign targets to propagate 5,000 trees and promote mental health knowledge in each school across Nakuru’s sub-counties.

Njoroge emphasized the importance of a joint monitoring system to ensure the survival of at least 90 percent of the planted seedlings. She appealed to residents to embrace tree planting as a means to support the government’s vision of environmental restoration and climate change mitigation.

The partnership between PPF and Nakuru County Government underscores the local commitment to addressing climate change and environmental conservation, while simultaneously fostering mental health awareness among the youth.