Rumphi man plants 43 000 trees
Golden Mlowoka Chirwa, a resident of Mphompha in Rumphi, has planted 43 000 blue gum tree seedlings in the just ended tree planting season to mitigate effects of climate change.
The man is a beneficiary of Mzuzu-based Wells of Zoe, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) which encourages people in rural communities to invest in trees to preserve the environment.
Speaking on Tuesday when the organisation donated fruit trees to the area, he said he is also helping youth clubs which have planted over 1 000 trees each.
“This area has vast bare land which needs forest cover and youths have dedicated themselves towards achieving that goal,” he said.
Wells of Zoe director John Coyne said his organisation is women centred and has been donating trees to communities where it sinks wells. He said they have donated over two million tree varieties since 2017.
“We are mainly involved in sinking wells, but over the years that we have been working, women have been complaining of acute scarcity of firewood which is their main source of cooking fuel,” said Coyne.
In his remarks, Traditional Authority Mwankhunikira said the area has lost a lot of vegetation; hence, the need to encourage people to plant more trees.
