World Vision Zambia and Pepsico, plant 1,500 trees to mitigate Climate Change effects
By Towela Nyirenda, Communications, Zambia.
World vision Zambia in partnership Varun Beverages, a subsidiary of Pepsico and the Zambian Government through the Department of Forestry join forces to combat the effects of Climate Change by planting 1,000 indigenous and 500 fruit trees at five schools in Chongwe district.
The tree planting exercise is under the Greener Community Campaign, which is aimed at ending deforestation and reducing climate change by planting trees covering one million hectares of land in Zambia by the year 2030.
Speaking at the planting event recently held at Twikatane Primary School in Chongwe, Varun Managing Director Vibhay Chauhan, said Pepsi aims at positively impacting the environment by reducing the carbon footprint.
“As a way of giving back to the community, we decided to part with World Vision Zambia to contribute towards the fight against Climate Change that is adversely impacting the lives of the most vulnerable communities, especially children,” said Mr. Chauhan.
He committed that Pepsico would continue to engage in such initiatives of planting trees and giving back to the community to improve the well-being of children.
“We believe the five schools (Mulika, Nyabombwe, Twikatane, Chilyabale, and Musolokeni Primary Schools) are a starting point as we plan to scale-up the initiative to various parts of the country. This is the beginning of a good partnership with World Vision and our hope is that it will continue for the foreseeable future,” said the Varun Managing Director.
And World Vision Zambia Resource Acquisition and Communications Director Jason Befus called for urgent action to protect the land and curb climate change.
“There is a need to stop deforestation and help the vulnerable children, preserving of our natural resources will not only benefit us but also the generation that is to come,” said Mr. Befus. “We need for partners to come onboard for us to combine efforts towards the fight against climate change.”
He further stated that World Vision Zambia, working hand in hand with its partners achieves greater and long-lasting impact that leads to children’s well-being.
“This initiative will trigger the development of a culture of planting trees and preserving trees for commercial purposes, home use, climate resilience and help children and the communities begin to understand and appreciate the value of trees within their surroundings as this practice leads to well-being of children,” said Mr. Befus.
The Traditional Leaders’ representative commended World Vision Zambia and Pepsico for bringing the tree planting initiative to Chongwe.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme report of 2015, Zambia suffers the second highest deforestation per capita in the world. The fast deforestation rate is alarming and calls for urgent awareness and investments.
Chongwe District is having a high rate in the cutting down of trees, as people cut trees for charcoal and settlement, a practice that has negatively impacted the ecosystem, leading to increased incidence of both drought and floods.
World Vision Zambia is supporting the Government of Zambia in the regeneration and regreening agenda, using the Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration model.
