In a move to mitigate the negative impact of climate change in communities, ChildFund-The Gambia and Plantation Nursery for Green Schools Tree Planting Initiative recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at a signing ceremony held at ChildFund main office Kanifing.
The move also witnessed ChildFund's multiple partnership with its local partners namely; Ding-Ding Yiriwa Federation, Foni Ding Ding Federation and Saama Kairo Federation.
At the signing ceremony, Musu Komma, Country Director for ChildFund-Gambia, revealed that the partnership has yielded tremendous impact, saying the organisation has been so engaged with children to a point that development of children has becoming a niche for the organisation.
She revealed that they want to collectively ensure the availability of fruit trees in schools so that children will be able to nurture them properly.
"At ChildFund, whatever we do with children is significant and that we respect them as children and their protection and safety is what matters to us."
Samba Faye, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Plantation Nursery spoke about the areas that the nursery farm is specialised in from propagation to management of climate resilient and drought resistant fruit-tree seedlings.
"Since our inception, we have focused on providing communities, smallholder farmers, and institutions with high-quality climate-resilient seedlings both fruit and plant trees. This is aimed at combating deforestation, promoting reforestation, and improving food security."
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Further, he explained that their work goes beyond just planting trees, as it is about fostering a deeper connection between people and nature, while empowering communities to take ownership of their environments.
That, he said, would also create spaces where children can grow up learning the importance of sustainability and environmental conservation.
He underscored the importance of trees in communities, adding that trees play a crucial role in food security especially in schools, where many students rely on school meals for their daily nutrition.
Thus, planting trees in schools, he said, is also another measure to create a sustainable source of food, while teaching the next generation about the importance of protecting and preserving the environment.
Fatou A. Jeng, Plantation Nursery Project Coordinator, spoke about the significance of their joint mission, which she said, would certainly leave an indelible impact on the lives of the younger generation and the environment in particular.
Plantation Nursery is an indigenous nursery farm that is engaged in the propagation and management of climate-resilient and drought-resistant seedlings of plant trees, fruit trees, vegetables, bamboo and mangroves for smallholder farmers in The Gambia.
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