First Lady Rachel Ruto under her MaMa Doing Good initiative has collaborated with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency to plant fruit trees in schools in Embu and Meru Counties. This joint effort aims to involve thousands of schoolchildren in tree-planting activities as drivers of environmental action. MaMa Doing Good CEO John Chumo said they target 17 million learners across the country in similar conservation works During the launch of the project dubbed MaMa Fruit Gardens at Rukira Primary School in Embu on Friday, over 600 fruit trees were planted. Learners in the schools are expected to plant and nurture the trees to maturity which will also go a long way in increasing their interest in environmental conservation. The initiative also aligns with President William Ruto’s goal of planting 15 billion trees by 2032. He said First Lady Rachel Ruto is passionate about restoring the country’s ecosystem. Mr Chumo said the country had experienced a rain deficit in the last four years resulting in serious droughts. ‘You have seen that the President is very committed and that is why MaMa Doing Good is committed to planting 500 million trees in the next ten years,’ he said. ‘The future of this country is the young ones. We need to empower them on environmental conservation,’ he said. Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency County Director Yasemin Cansuz Kurt said the partnership will be replicated in other parts of the country. She said 200 projects have been implemented in Kenya since 2012 in areas of healthcare infrastructure, agriculture education, and humanitarian. The current focus in Kenya is agriculture which is a lifeline in Kenya. Embu Deputy Governor Kinyua Mugo said many parts of the county suffer from drought and perennial food shortage and the initiative will not only assist in environmental conservation but also ensure an abundant supply of food. ‘We appreciate the assistance from the Turkish and MaMa Doing Good,’ he said, adding that they had initiated similar projects as part of their greening efforts by planting one million trees annually.

Source: Kenya News Agency