Youth in the high density suburb of Kuwadzana in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare are playing their part to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable through spearheading efforts to plant trees their neighborhood.
Tafadzwa Gwini (32) is one of the youth leading the “Greening Kuwadzana project” an initiative that has coordinated the planting of 1500 indigenous and exotic trees including fruit trees in schools and surrounding neighborhoods in Kuwadzana for the past two years.
Tafadzwa says the five year programme was piloted in 2020 with a target of planting 5,000 trees by the end of 2025. So far, 1500 trees have been planted in schools, the community and Kuwadzana Community Park.
The initiative not only benefits school children by providing nutritious fruits to supplement their diet but also contributes to climate mitigation efforts and creating an aesthetically pleasant environment in the densely populated urban area.
“We are trying to revitalise Kuwadzana Community Park and our community by reintroducing trees. High-density areas have been neglected and this affects the general well-being of residents. We want to create a healthy atmosphere. The more trees we have the more carbon is absorbed which benefits the environment and people’s health,” says Tafadzwa.
Tafadzwa says the Greening Kuwadzana Project was initiated by Kuwadzana Press which brought in other like-minded organisations such as Duri Green Finger Nursery, Lets Green the Future, City of Harare and PELUM Zimbabwe member, Young Volunteers for the Environment (YVE) in 2020 when they started planting trees.
Melissa Murwira (24), the Executive Director of YVE says her organisation joined the initiative in order to help conserve urban biodiversity and promote healthy urban ecosystems.
“The preservation of biodiversity is essential in supporting life on Earth. There is reduction in biodiversity especially in urban areas. As YVE, we decided to participate and support the Greening Kuwadzana Project, particularly for the schools because it helps the children understand the importance of planting trees and preservation of biodiversity,” says Melissa.
Stephen Duri (71), a botanist and agroforestry enthusiast who is also the owner of Duri Green Finger Nursery says trees are an important part of nature that need to be protected and nurtured for environmental conservation.
“The work that we are doing ensures that there is a better tomorrow. Trees are important as they create a viable habitat for people in the future and are important for our survival. We have been teaching school children about the importance of trees and this is helping because the tree population has increased in Kuwadzana,” he says.
Tafadzwa and Melissa say they hope that the initiative will spread to other urban suburbs in Harare and other parts of the country.
“We have been running for three years now and as soon as we get more support we want to expand to other neglected areas like Budiriro, Glen Norah, Mufakose and Highfields and even other parts of Zimbabwe to improve biodiversity and preserve the environment,” says Tafadzwa.
Melisa says her organisation plans to go further to target other communities.
“We intend to teach and illustrate to community members and farmers about biodiversity conservation, tree planting, cleaning the environment and also on issues concerning climate change and taking care of natural habitats,” says Melissa.