Stakeholders Donate Trees to Gasaki-Jeje community to Address Land Degradation
By Ekemini Simon
A civil society organisation in the environmental sector, Gee Foundation for Social Justice and Development has donated trees to Gasaki-Jeje community to mitigate the impact of Climate Change in the area.
The donation was made on Saturday during the one-day sensitisation themed- “Addressing Land Degradation and Enhancing the Resilience of Women for Improved Livelihood”.
The Executive Director of Gee Foundation for Social Justice and Development, Miss Gloria Agema said the project was made possible with the support of the Embassy of France in Nigeria and in collaboration with the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation GIFSEP.
She said good land management practices are needed to protect the environment and boost food security, hence the donation.
Ms. Agema told the community that the program, which is a continuation of the commemoration of World Environment Day 2024, is meant to educate the community on the impending dangers of the felling of trees.
She said the program is mainly targeted at one hundred women in the Gasaki-Jeje community to enhance their resilience against the impact of climate change in the community and improve their livelihood by providing economic trees for them.
On his part Dr. Michael David the Executive Director of GIFSEP a partner of Gee Foundation for Social Justice and Development told the community to make it a habit of planting trees to replace trees that have been cut down and tasked them on climate change adaptation.
He said planting trees will prevent further landslides in the community, which is also beneficial for them as their livelihood depends on it.
David further said that planting trees prevents erosion, flooding, and landslides, which mitigates against climate change.
One of the beneficiaries, Jumai Abubakar thanked Gee Foundation and her partners and promised to nurture and protect her plants.
“We are grateful for this assistance as no one has come to our aid like this before. Indeed, we have seen light in our community,” she said.
In response, the chief of the community, Zaki Adamu Tanko also expressed his appreciation to Gee Foundation and her partners and promised that the community will reduce the activity on felling of trees. He noted that the project could not have come at a better time and he will ensure that the community not only plant the trees that were donated but they will also protect it.
Tanko however appealed to the Foundation to assist the community with potable water. He said the community is in dire need of water as they have only one borehole serving four communities.
The event was marked with the distribution of five hundred trees to the women and other members of the community including mangoes, orange and palm trees and a display of cultural dance which made the event colourful.
