There is a magic machine that sucks carbon out of the air, costs very little and builds itself. It’s called a tree. It is a tool we can use to repair our broken planet.
Unite Founder & Director Anne Wells planting trees in Tanzania
As we “shelter in place,” thank God for the ability to breathe deeply, and do all we can to help minimize the devastation of this Covid19 pandemic, many of us are feeling helpless to really make a difference in the lives of those in greatest need. ONE THING we can do, EVERY DAY THROUGH APRIL 8th (Planet911’s judgement day) is to support our Unite Hummingbird Campaign in Tanzania through which our scholars and teammates are PLANTING TREES to COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE. Please…
CLICK HERE & CLICK VOTE.
Easy peasy. The submission that receives the most votes will be eligible to win $1,000 from PLANET911 to grow their project! Please VOTE and help make our scholars’ Unite Hummingbird Campaign a winner. They have all worked so hard (as you can see in the series of 60-second videos below) and they are all so excited to be part of this global campaign to protect and preserve our precious planet. Thank you!
A society grows great when people plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.
-Greek Proverb.
Unite’s Hummingbird Campaign is led by Unite’s Volunteer Coordinator & Special Projects Manager Clara Ngowi. An Environmental Scientist from the University of Dodoma, Clara is wildly passionate about conservation, reforestation and volunteerism. She began our Unite Hummingbird Project project by traveling to Morogoro, Central Tanzania, from Dar Es Salaam to purchase quality seedlings from the Tanzania Tree Seed Agency (TTSA). She and teammates Joan Mnzava and Rhoda Lugazia then gathered our Unite Scholars living in the Dar district (including Luther Kavishe who is featured in Unite’s Planet911 video above) to prepare the soil and plant seeds in polyethylene bags, which enable the growth of fibrous root systems. To date, our team has planted more than 600 seedlings and our plan is to replant those seedlings with and around such community partners as schools, hospitals, dispensaries, play grounds, churches, etc. in June when the seedlings have matured. If our team wins the Planet 911 Wake Up Call Youth Challenge (which once again requires everyone we know to VOTE once a day everyday now through April 8th), we will use the funds to plant thousands more trees on behalf of the greater community.
Clara Ngowi in a tree nursery with seedlings ready to plant. For our Unite Hummingbird Tree Planting Campaign, Clara choose a variety of tree species including fruit trees (mango, lemon, orange, passion, banana, papaya, guava) as well as trees for shade, timber, decoration, medicine (Moringa), energy (for charcoal), prevention of soil erosion, and more.
“Through Unite’s Hummingbird tree planting campaign, we are now part of worldwide movement to combat climate change, reduce deforestation and water scarcity, and restore the natural balance of ecosystems. Planting trees makes us feel connected, alive and happy.”
Did you know…?
250 trees produce enough oxygen for 125 people to breathe clean air for an entire year. (americanforests.org)
100 trees can sequester 4,800 pounds of carbon a year. (americanforests.org)
Tree roots help to prevent soil erosion.
Trees provide important habitats for many species of wildlife.
***
Click HERE to see a video of our Unite Scholars “Hummingbirds” preparing the land. Click HERE to see our Unite Scholars planting the tree nursery and preparing the polyethylene bags, and click HERE to hear a few of our Unite Scholars share a bit about what they learned.
Our vision for the entrance to Unite’s new tree nursery.
Unite’s Organic Garden
In December 2019 a few of Unite’s “original” scholars and teammates came together under Clara’s leadership to prepare and plant a organic garden. Our goal was to teach our students about proper farming techniques so they can help grow food for their families and to provide free vegetables and fruits to impoverished, sick and hungry community members. Our Unite garden now includes seedbeds with okra, collard green, celery vegetables and pumpkin vegetables as well as banana and fruit trees and more. Each week project manager Clara Ngowi tends, harvests and re-plants our garden. Unite’s garden is now feeding FOR FREE dozens of children and staff at the nearby Elite Dignity Nursery School as well as widow women enrolled in Unite’s Mjane Jasiri Brave Widow program. Clara is also harvesting some vegetables to sell in order to pay the salary ($25 a month) of the guard/night watchman who protects the gardens from animal and human thieves. Click HERE to see a video of our Unite team’s garden planting day.
Deforestation and erosion is devastating communities in Tanzania. In 2017, Tanzania recorded one of the highest deforestation rates in East Africa. The Tanzanian government is encouraging widespread tree planting campaigns to prevent the country from turning into a desert.
