School projects

Objectives:

• Students understand the necessity of forestation and which important role they can play in it.
• Students learn at school the practical tasks around fruit trees, cultivation and taking care, and how sweet the fruits of this work are (after 2 years already, students may harvest papayas)!
• Students learn about the water cycle and why trees play a key role within this cycle (retention of water levels, protection against erosion, bettering of the climate).

 

Actions:

 

While establishing, maintaining and running schools is clearly the duty of the government, Foundation Green Ethiopia aims to grow and pass on the youth's understanding and experiences regarding carrying and growing fruit trees and forests. We collaborate closely with the local school administration, and any such project is undertaken in addition to our other forestation, water and vegetable plantation projects. This integrated approach underlines the importance to combine short-term and long-term benefits. At the same time it involves everyone of a family in our projects as a beneficiary. In detail our support includes:

• Establish fruit tree orchards within or next to the school compound
• Financing of fencing (where necessary)
• Financing of water harvesting ponds for rain water (collected on the school's roofs)
• Partial Financing of wells (where ground water is available)
• Financing / supply of required fruit tree seedlings
• Education of teachers regarding caring of fruit trees and water cycle

 

In return for our school projects, the school management is obliged to, together with the parents of the respective students, reforest hill sides surrounding the school area. The students do also collaborate in this forestation work and therewith gain practical experience how forestation takes place. Each school's forestation area is between 10-20 hectares.

 

School projects are undertaken since 2008. So far we have supported:

• Gimbitschu (Oromo) with fruit trees at 33 schools
• May-Sheo School, Debre Genet (Tigray)
• Mariam Shewito School (Tigray)
• Genya School (Tigray)
• Gendebta School (Tigray)
• Yeha Schule (Tigray)
• Shitene Schule (Tigray)
• Bete Yohannes Schule (Tigray)
• Wazga Schule (Tigray)

 

Project expenditures in CHF:

 

2009: 21'000.-- (effective)

2010: 45'000.-- (effective)

2011: 35'000.-- (budget)