The Future is in Their Tiny Hands: Environmental Education for the 350 Climate Change Campaign

The 350 campaign for promoting awareness about climate change ran successfully around the world last week. Many GVI staff and volunteers supported the campaign and helped to spread the message to isolated areas throughout the globe which may otherwise have been unaware of the campaign. In the small village of Mahandakini, on the border of Tsavo West National Park, GVI staff and volunteers decided to go right to the bottom with their efforts to promote awareness about climate change issues. Armed with colored pencils, trees, a few shovels and some paper, GVI volunteers delivered lessons on the importance of trees for environmental sustainability. The lessons took place in Mahandakini Nursery School and were delivered to a group of thirty nursery school children in a mix of English and Kiswahili.

-350!-

After the nursery school children learnt about the importance of trees for the environment, and for their futures, they set off to plant local tree species around their school compound. Each child was given a tree to plant and with a little help from GVI staff and volunteers over thirty trees were planted around the Mahandakini Nursery School area. The nursery school children thoroughly enjoyed the lessons and tree planting session as did all of the GVI staff and volunteers involved.

-From little things, big things grow-

The success of the lesson become apparent later to me later in the day as I was passing the nursery school and overheard a group of children singing in Kiswahili “mti ni mzuri” which translates to “trees are good”! After hearing this, I think it’s pretty safe to say the future of environmental conservation in Mahandakini is looking pretty good. Moreover, given the importance of trees for reducing carbon in the atmosphere, the lesson and tree planting session undertaken by GVI with the Mahandakini Nursery School children also provided support for the very worthy 350 campaign. If four year old children can manage to plant a tree, everyone can. So what are you waiting for – go out and plant a tree today!

The Future is in Their Tiny Hands: Environmental Education for the 350 Climate Change Campaign