‘Growing up Green’ is a school based annual children’s tree planting programme in which every child enrolled in class one will be required to plant a tree. This tree will mark their entry into primary school which they will be encouraged to tender and take care of until its maturity. As you are aware, nearly 100% of the Kenyan children are enrolled in class one every year since the free primary school programme was introduced thanks to our Government. We see no better opportunity to inculcate the values and virtues of trees in our children than this.

By embracing and promoting ‘Growing up Green’ Juhudi Children’s Club hopes to start and grow a culture in which every child enrolling in class one embraces conservation as a lifelong exercise by holding trees as treasures and symbols, which should be used to mark important events in their lives while at the same time internalizing very early the benefits of a good environment. We hope to inculcate through this programme, a positive work ethic; a culture of sustained efforts towards achieving personal and community goals while at the same time giving these young children an opportunity to contribute to both National and Global environment and development. Moreover, with a target of at least 2.5 acres of land under trees in each of the participating schools, we shall create new and broad forested areas therefore assisting our country bridge the current internationally accepted national deficit.

Project Progress

We launched the pilot phase of the project on 16^th March 2007 in 6 schools: Thigio, Gatuura, Tutu, Kiawanda, Gitutha and Kiriri Primary Schools all in Ndeiya Location, Limuru Division of Kiambu West District with exciting insights:

i)        The trees became a family affair, with the parents preparing the holes, providing manure and assisting the children plant their trees. With the rains coming in late that season, the older siblings assisted in watering the seedling during the April school holiday.

ii)        The programme has recorded a survival rate of 92% and now boasts just about 2430 seedlings to date.

iii)       Schools appreciate the value of trees in their compounds. In this era of free primary education where they are not allowed to collect any levies from the parents, they see trees as possible source of funding in future. They are also looking at ways of beautifying their schools to create better learning environments.

iv)     The schools also appreciate the need to create vineyards in their schools especially for schools with a children’s feeding programme to supplement the food that the children have.