ARBOR WEEK HITS ACORNHOEK

September 22nd, 2008 | Published in Green Talk

Written By Linky Matsie

The sun shines and a soft wind blows. The students run up and down screaming at each other. A big tent is placed in front of the principal’s office. Loud music flows around the school and nearby places. Behind the tent and in front of the classroom, there are three holes. Next to them are buckets of water and fertilizer.

Every year from 1-7 September is Arbor Week; trees are planted as a sign of celebration. Mahlekisana Primary School in Welverdiend is one of the schools chosen by Food and Trees for Africa to participate in their permaculture project. The school celebrated Arbor week on 4 September, with teachers from different schools and Daniel Chitungo, project officer of Food and Trees for Africa, in attendance.

M. K. Dzamukeri, the principal at Mahlekisana, thanked Daniel for all the great things Trees for Africa has done for their school. “It is a pleasure today; I don’t know how to express my happiness. Since we are celebrating Arbor Week at our school, we see it as a great opportunity to say thanks to Brother Daniel,” said Dzamukeri. The principal said that the project started in November 2006 with funding from Africa Foundation, Old Mutual and other donors. Food and Trees for Africa has provided permaculture skills training and development.

According to Dzamukeri, the community of Welverdiend has learned to make their own medicine with the leaves of mango, guava and pawpaw trees through Daniel Chitungo. “Our children have their own small gardens of vegetables at home,” she said. She continued to explain that Welverdiend is below the poverty line. “There are no jobs for the people to look after their family, but through the vegetable garden that BrotherDaniel helped us to make, we no longer have a high rate of sick learners at our school. Thanks, BrotherDaniel,” said Dzamukeri.

The principal was not the only person to thank Chitungo. Women in the community, as well as learners, from Mahlekisana did a drama about the workshop Chitungo gave at the school. They also sang some songs about Chitungo, others about the importance of ploughing vegetables and trees.

“I don’t know what to say,” said Chitungo, laughing. He asked the learners what the importance of planting trees is. Chitungo said that there are many reasons to plant trees: they serve as food, furniture, medicine and also protection from the wind. “Every year there is a slogan for Arbor Week. In 2007 it was ‘Plant trees, grow our future’ and this year it is ‘Plant trees, save our planet’.” According to Chitungo, every year there are three trees of the year. This year they are Markhamia Zanzibarica, Harpephyllum caffrum and Diospyros Whyteana. “Diospyros,” he explained, “is a Greek name meaning divine pear and Whyteana comes from the name of a Scottish plant explorer.”

The entire group of guests went out of the tent and to the hole that was dug to plant a tree. Half of the people surrounding the hole participated in planting the tree. Chitungo explained that “The hole must be 5 meters long and watered with a 20-liter bucket” when planting a tree.

Trees save our planet by producing oxygen; they also make effective sound barriers, fight soil erosion and provide protection. Trees shade and cool people, and some vegetables need shade to grow. They clean the air. Trees give people, insects and animals food and fruit. Some people make a living by selling fruit from the trees. They provide people with firewood, homes for birds and decorate the world. This is why planting trees during Arbor Week is so important for the planet.