Food and Trees for Africa

A group of final year MCom (Business Management) students, passionate about the environment, have decided to walk their talk and give back to the community surrounding the University. Realising that they have used a substantial amount of paper during their study years, they have taken steps to address this by planting trees for disadvantaged communities. One of the students, Ms Ester Ochse, approached social enterprise Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA) to help. ``We will also challenge all future students to do the same. This will make studying greener while empowering people's minds. We want the trees to be an inspiration for the children to continue in school and aim to study further” said Ms Ochse.

The world has already lost 80% of its original forests. 25 million acres of ancient forest are cleared or destroyed every year and ancient forests now cover only 7% of world’s land surface. In addition, the pulp and paper industry is the largest consumer of water in industrialized countries and third largest greenhouse gas emitter, so this is indeed a worthwhile action to begin at roots level..

The students raised funds to plant 23 trees at Sparrow Combined School in Sophia Town. This is a special needs school for children with emotional and social problems and who cannot cope in mainstream schools. The 295 learners, 17 from child headed households, and 24 educators will join the UJ students to celebrate the greening of their school.

As they grow, these trees will provide an opportunity for learning more about nature and help to create a more aesthetically pleasing environment, as well as provide shade for the learners.