On Earth Day, April 22, Mara Elephant Project CEO Marc Goss, Development Director Victoria Fanthorpe and Tracking Manager Wilson Sairowua went to Ngoswani School to plant 100 seedlings for the school’s sustainable woodlot.
Pictured, left, children from Ngoswani School.
Ngoswani School provides a safe and healthy learning environment for over 400 children. MEP wanted to help start a woodlot for the school by planting seedlings that, once fully grown, will provide a sustainable source of wood for the community to use for charcoal and timber. Shade trees are also essential to improve the school environment as the school grounds lie in a mostly flat area, unprotected from the elements.
MEP CEO Marc Goss inspecting the fence and open landscape.
The children were involved in planting the seedlings to learn about how preventing deforestation has a positive impact on the environment and directly ties into elephant conservation and protecting the Mara’s precious ecosystem. Additionally, schoolteachers Amos and Mathias were in attendance and learned from MEP CEO Marc Goss, who studied forestry as part of his undergraduate degree, how to properly plant and care for the seedlings.
Marc showing the teachers and students how to properly plant and care for a tree.
The school had already planted 103 seedlings donated by Greenmade Movement Group that were coming along nicely when MEP visited. On the 50-acre property our goal is to plant 4,500 seedlings, and after April 22, we now have over 200 growing.
“I like how you’ve been looking after the seedlings so far. Thanks a lot for today. I look forward to making a plan for the 4,500 trees.” Marc Goss
This school lies in an area that is considered a high human-elephant conflict zone so the school has already been fenced in with an elephant-proof fence that is electrified with solar panels and protected with a large gate, all donated by MEP and the families of the students. A Woodlot Attendant will also be employed as part of this project to ensure the healthy growth of the seedlings and manage the sustainable supply of wood in future.
MEP Tracking Manager Wilson planting a tree.
The sustainable woodlot is the first step towards making this school a glowing example of the potential for children to be the custodians of our precious ecosystem and thanks to a generous donation from Lori Price, we are well on our way to completing our goal. More updates on this project will be coming soon.
Students from Ngoswani School showing us their seedling they will plant.
Though a single, large donation such as Lori’s really helps, smaller donations make a difference too. Now that this project is well under way, we plan to support two more schools in the area this year to develop sustainable woodlots and will continue to fund the salary of the Woodlot Attendant at Ngoswani School.
If you would like to support MEP’s school woodlot initiative with a donation of any size, please visit our Generosity page.
