As an important step towards self-sufficiency and a green lifestyle, the Plant A Tree project has been launched for children aged 6 to 12 at Elim van de Heer’s children’s home in the Commewijne area.
This initiative, a collaboration between JCI Unify and the Petroleum Engineers Society of Suriname (SPESur), aims to promote a culture of sustainable development among the younger generation by establishing vegetable gardens and planting dwarf fruit trees.
The Plant A Tree project is part of JCI Unify’s Green Week congress. The goal of the project is to provide children with knowledge and skills to promote a greener future. The purpose is to create your own vegetable gardens, plant vegetables and fruit trees, maintain these gardens and trees, and learn to compost and recycle.
In addition to these practical skills, the project focuses on developing essential qualities of young people, such as patience, tenacity, teamwork and discipline.
Two steps
The project was implemented in two phases. A virtual session with online training was organized for those participating in growing their own vegetable garden and volunteers participating in the implementation of the project. The implementation of the project then began.
In cooperation with Elim van de Heer’s children (ages 13-17), a 6 x 7 meter vegetable garden has been established. The garden now has 60 vegetable plants, including okra, tayer leaf, boulanger, bitawiri, spinach, chilli, paprika and soursop trees. The success of this project is due to the support of various partners and sponsors: Elim van de Heer’s children’s home, SPESur and local entrepreneurs.