5,000 trees planted and dedicated to African children facing hardships

This week, we are happy to bring you the heartfelt story of hope, shared by Charles Mafaru.

Charles is based in the Handeni District, located East of Tanzania. He is the director of the non-profit organization, Inuka Youth Development.

He tells us that Inuka Youth Development is very committed to helping the local community (and the entire world) in numerous ways! At the moment, they are busy with environmental restoration projects in their district, with the hope of bringing a brighter future for the children.

Planting with a local school

“The Handeni district is among the districts faced with severe drought due to the excessive logging of trees. According to the report of TFS (Tanzania Forest Service Agency), more than 1,000 Hectares of trees are being cleared per year, where we could lose more than 1,600,000 trees! This problem persists for many years, and still proceeds due to the economic hardship faced by our communities, as well as the lack of education about environmental issues.” Charles tells us.

Adding to the problem, Charles informs us that the lack of rainfall in the area is creating an even bigger disaster. Crop production is declining, which results in job losses. Accordingly, young children are being forced to drop out of school because their parents are unable to pay the school fees, buy uniforms, books, etc.

Members of Inuka Youth Development in action!

As a solution to restoring the forests, as well as assisting the students and their parents, the Inuka Youth Development Organisation is providing the local community with fruit trees. This way, more trees are being planted, and parents can generate an income by selling fruit and therefore, send their children to school!

The fruit trees are also being planted at local schools, by school children, as part of their environmental education and awareness program.

Charles says that “With this strategy, we can hopefully alleviate poverty and bring back the smiles on our local children’s faces!”

Wow, what a remarkable story, Charles! Thank you for everything that you and your project are doing to help the children and the local community. We truly appreciate your work, and we hope that this article will inspire many people around the world!

If you want to get in touch with Charles and support his work, send him an email: inukayouth2021@gmail.com and follow the Inuka Youth Development Facebook page to learn more!