Notizie dai Monti Aberdare / Updates from the Aberdare mountains

TREE PLANTING IN KIBURU FOREST (WESTERN ABERDARE)

By the Kawama Youth Group

The 1^st June is a public holiday that is cerebrated nationally in Kenya. Members of Kawama Youth Group cerebrated the holiday in style, they woke up early to load the seedlings to the waiting truck waiting some 100m away. It would not get any further.

After loading the tree seedlings, the members took a matatu (local bus) to the site. This was not the end. The truck could only climb up to some 1 km away from the site that had been chose to plant the trees. Therefore, the seedlings were again to be loaded in cart pulled by a donkey that would be able to maneuver along the rough terrain. It was fun.

But even the donkey needed assistance and we were there to!

Three trips up and the seedlings were to the site, at last!

With help from rangers of the Kenya Forest Service, the trees planting started earnestly. We distributed the seedlings into the already done holes while others started planting.

It was not until 2 pm that planting was through. This day saw more than 3,000 tree seedlings planted.

It was a good day.