No fewer than 100 participants were on Saturday trained by Foundation for Community Empowerment Initiative, alongside Development Exchange Centre Small-Scale Project Fund, and Bread for the World.

PERISCOPE NIGERIA reports that the participants include students, teachers of Government Day Secondary School Orji Estate, Government Day Science (Science II), Smart Model School, Gombe, and Government Girls Mega College Doma, alongside selected community leaders.

STEP project, is Sustainable Tree Planting and Environmental Protection.

Team Lead, Foundation for Community Empowerment Initiative Ben Maina, explained that the organisation is committed to supporting communities in Sustainable Development Goals’ processes, adding that the training was geared towards ensuring the students and communities take ownership.

He noted that the target of the project is to above all plant 400 trees, stressing that the training would support participants combat the issue of climate change.

He said, “FOCEI is a Non-Profit, Non-Political, Non-Religious, Non-Governmental Organisation working towards actualising Sustainable Development Goals and supporting communities to give their contribution SDGs’ processes.

“FOCEI conceived this initiative with support and funding from Development Exchange Centre, Bread for the World.

•Maina

Commenting on the STEP project, he  added, “Sustainable Tree Planting and Environmental Protection. We  propose to carry out tree planting project in selected schools in Gombe. Today, we have established clubs within the selected schools and we trained them on tree planting and how to handle waste within their communities and schools. This will help them reduce the amount of waste currently generating as a population and also see how we can combat the issue of climate change and catch them young as students to contribute in the process of sustainable development.”

On the participants Maina disclosed that they were carefully selected from the four benefitting schools, including teachers and students, community leaders.

“Each school and location we selected 25, making about 100 with teachers, students and community members in attendance,” he said.

Maina urged participants to see the issue of climate resilience as collective task, adding “What we hope to achieve by planting 400 trees across these schools and communities that the trees are well nurtured and survival rate is 100 per cent. We want the students to understand the importance of tree planting and waste management so that we can have robust sustainable development within Gombe State and the students will contribute meaningfully in combating climate change that is worsening. We hope the students can take ownership.”

Also speaking, Climate change officer Gombe Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes, Aminu Maigari, commended FOCEI’s STEP project, saying that ACReSAL is committed also to same purpose.

He said, “We are here to discuss with four invited schools’ students. As you are aware FOCEI organised this we only helped them with technical expertise by giving them advisory services in terms of planting techniques. How the trees will be planted in a sustainable manner.

“As you are aware ACReSAL is a World Bank project with collaboration from Gombe State Government effort. We are doing our best in terms of planting of trees, everywhere in the state.”

On ACReSAL’s aspirations towards schools’ tree planting campaign, Maigari added “Because they (FOCEI) are dealing with schools and ACReSAL is assidiously working to catching incorporate the mindset of tree planting in young school children. We are working to catch them young minds especially those in secondary school level that’s the reason we are motivated with the partnership. After talking to you now we are heading to Dadinkowa for our weekly tree planting every Saturday not less than four hundred seedlings.”

Earlier in her opening address, Executive Director of FOCEI, Rahab Loh, urged participants to show the desired commitment in protection of their environment, “We should take the issue of climate change seriously and the Sustainable Tree Planting and Environmental Protection campaign will help us achieve that,” she added.