By OMAR MSONGA | PROGRAM MANAGER
Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world, with per capita income of $280 USD and about half of the population living below the poverty line. The land in Babati, was once a forested sanctuary for wildlife and people. But in the past 50 years, unsustainable farming practices and the increasing demand for charcoal for cooking have degraded most of the region's forests. The result is severe erosion, depleted water basins, and dry rivers.
A recent study conducted by the University of Dar Es Salaam’s Institute of Resource Assessment confirms the environmental crisis facing Tanzania. The study shows that between 40% to 55% of Tanzania’s land surface of 85.6 million hectares is seriously degraded because of over-exploitation of its natural resources .Symptoms of desert encroachment are found almost everywhere in the country, although they are much more pronounced in the semi-dry and dry central and northern regions of Dodoma, Singida and Manyara.
TAJPI realize Earth's fragility and the need to restore and protect Earth's ecological integrity; to reverse that damage, it support 8,000 students from 8 secondary schools in Babati Districts to establish their own tree woodlots with emphasis on ecological conversion with a view to achieving self-sufficiency in firewood supply, improve on nutrition and make schools liveable places adequate for study meanwhile make the difference in reversing environmental degradation in Tanzania,
TAJPI has achieved some mail-stone in implementing this project. In May up to June 2023 it celebrated with student community from Galapo Secondary School (found in Babati District) a Birthday Tree Planting campaign. In that campaign all students who were celebrating their birthday in month May and June, celebrated their birthdays by planting tree whereby more than 300 tree were planted in school compound. About 500 student’s participated in the campaign.
Apart from tree planting in their birthdays, awareness raising on ecological conversion was raised to student community. Environmental conservation should be a someone's belief, someone's habitual behaviour, s/he has to live with it. In a great extent, TAJPI succeeded to change the article of belief to Galapo's students on environmental conservation,
It is our anticipation that, when we get the fund as prior allocated to implement this project, we will be able to reach a great number of students and bring considerable impact in their lives in respect to environmental conservation.
With this platform, we kindly ask our dear supporters to re-stretch their supporting hand to us so that we will be able to touch the lives of thousand students by changing their attitudes and minds towards environmental conservation hence preserve our mother earth.
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By Br John Sulle OFMCap | Executive Director
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