ENUGU; UNICEF Champions School Tree Planting Initiative to Educate Students on Climate Change, Hunger, and Poverty

In an effort to instill environmental consciousness and address global challenges, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is championing a tree-planting initiative within schools. The Chief of Enugu UNICEF Field Office, Juliet Chiluwe, made this announcement during the kickoff of the Tree Planting Exercise at Metropolitan Girls Secondary School Enugu to commemorate the 2023 World Children’s Day.

Chiluwe urged students to embrace tree planting and nurturing as a habitual practice. As part of the 2023 World Children’s Day activities, UNICEF, in collaboration with the U-Report project, is partnering with three schools in Enugu to plant a total of 30 trees. This initiative aims to create a more favorable climate and impart the significance of tree planting in combating hunger, poverty, and climate change.

Explaining the rationale behind the project, Chiluwe stated, "Tree planting exercise is an initiative of UNICEF under its U-report project, which aims to green up Nigerian schools by teaching the students the importance of tree planting in combating hunger, poverty, and climate change."

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She highlighted the broader context of the initiative, aligning it with the GREEN ECONOMY INITIATIVE. The overarching goal is to achieve sustainable development, particularly focusing on goals 13 and 15, which call for urgent action against climate change and aim to combat "desertification and halt biodiversity loss."

Chiluwe emphasized the dual value of environmental conservation, encompassing ecological/environmental benefits and economic advantages in both the short and long term. Drawing attention to the undeniable impact of human activity on climate change, she underscored the urgency of addressing these issues.

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UNICEF remains committed to initiatives that contribute to the fight against climate change, including tree planting, waste recycling, and the establishment of resilient and sustainable environments for economic growth and the well-being of children and young people.

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Sylvia Okafor, an SSS 2 student at the school, expressed gratitude to UNICEF for the tree planting exercise and emphasized the importance of environmental sanitation in mitigating the effects of climate change.