I recently participated in a tree planting event in Yatta District. The event, termed “Back to Eden” was organized by The Norwegian Church Aid and the Kenya Youth Climate Network (KYCN) in partnership with the Office of the Prime Minister and was held at the Mully Children’s Family (MCF) grounds in Yatta District. The Mully Children’s Family is a non-governmental organization that has seen the rehabilitation, shelter and education of more than six thousand street children in Kenya. They still continue to bring more children out of the streets across the country.

The Kenya Youth Climate Network is a youth movement comprised of youth organizations and networks, including Kenya Young Greens (KYG), Africa Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC-Kenya), Korogocho Community radio (Koch FM), Young Environmentalists Network in Africa (YENA), the Third Movement, Inter-varsity Environmentalist Network (IVEN) and World Youth Alliance (WYA) among others. These youth networks have and still continue to mobilize, train and support youth from all over the country to learn and establish initiatives in their communities that tackle climate change, environment and leadership.

The event brought together more than a thousand young adults (including university students, faith based organizations, artists and environmental institutions) and community members. The event was a good opportunity to sensitize youth and general public on the importance of planting and nurturing trees. Some of the tree species planted included acacia, Silk oak, Nandi flame and Fig trees among others.

The participants also got a chance to interact with children from the Mully Children’s Family, and the kids’ joy and happiness was contagious. The kids are truly talented; they sang, drummed, played, and also entertained us with acrobatics.

For more information about some of the youth groups and the NGOs involved with climate change, environmental issues and community development, please visit their websites and blogs listed below.

Kenya Climate Youth Network http://kenyanclimateyouth.blogspot.com/

African Youth Initiative on Climate Change http://www.ayicc.net/

Mully Children’s Family http://www.mullychildrensfamily.org

The Norwegian Church Aid http://www.kirkensnodhjelp.no/en/

Here are some images from the event.

The Banner

The transport-Smart Bus

Esther and Dr Charles Mulli-The Mully Children’s Family Parents

Back to Eden Organizing team-Kudos for a job well done

The ceremonial tree planted by our host, Dr Charles Mulli

The tree seedlings

The tools

Litter bin for disposal of trash collected after tree planting

Digging tree holes

Some trees were planted online 🙂

The field, before tree planting

The field, after tree planting

Irrigating some of the trees that were far from the irrigation pipes

PArticipants singing and playing with the Mully Children’s Family members

Entertainment-the Big Five group

Some acrobatics

Photo shoot with fellow participants

More photo shoot

Some biodiversity that couldn’t be ignored…

Congratulations to the young leaders and participants for making it a fun filled event.

Martha