World Earth Day 2022

On April 22, since 1970, 193 countries now draw attention to the need to protect the environment on this day. This seems like the perfect date to start our project on Kilimanjaro this year.
Together with the Mapendo Women Group

as well as Permaculture Foundation Tanzania we are implementing a bee project in Shimbwe in Moshi district this year with financial support from the state capital Kiel. The aim of this project is:

• To financially support all stakeholders by creating regular sources of income and thus contribute to improving livelihoods.
• To maintain and increase the resilience and biodiversity of the ecosystem.
• To raise awareness among children and adults about environmental and climate protection.

The first action for the implementation of this project was to plant 100 indigenous trees in Shimbwe, which are serving as bee forage. In order to continue to support the Himo Tree Nursery, we naturally purchased the young trees there.

Despite the rainy season, it was possible to transport the young trees to Shimbwe one day before. We were just lucky that it had only rained during the night. With too much wetness, the clay roads would have turned into one big slide. The weather continued to be kind to us the next day, so we were able to carry out all the activities as planned.

The first 50 trees were to be planted on the grounds of the SIA Primary School in Shimbwe Chini. The planting holes were already prepared and all students were waiting for our team.

After a speech by our Tanzanian project coordinator Jonathan, in which the need for environmental protection was pointed out, everyone enthusiastically set about planting the young trees under our expert guidance.

And, of course, we also included the tree data in the tree data base at the same time.

In a few years here will be a flowering avenue with Spathodea campanulata and Markhamia lutea.

But the day was not over yet. We continued to Shimbwe Juu to the Mapendo Women Group. This group was founded in 1997 by several widowed women in the village of Shimbwe and is registered as an association in Tanzania. Currently, about 30 active female members generate funds on their 1ha area by growing mushrooms (oyster mushrooms), which are sold on the local market. The profits are used to improve the livelihood of the women and to purchase school supplies for needy children in the area.
With our project we would like to support this group among other things by the possibility of beekeeping. To create the best conditions needed for this, we also planted 50 indigenous young trees here, which serve as bee forage.
Mapendo always welcomes all visitors with traditional dance and song.

This warm welcome is always a joy.

After dancing together and introducing ourselves to each other, we immediately set about putting the trees in the ground. Here, too, everything was well prepared; the holes had been dug, compost was ready as a fertilizer gift and curious children provided enough water.

The day was drawing to a close and we were all fully satisfied with the tree planting campaign. The invited press representatives from Radio Kicheko, newspaper Daily News and television Tanzanian Broadcasting Corporation had collected enough material for their news to report about our engagement in Shimbwe.
Tanzanian Bees & Trees e. V. has taken another step for the protection of the environment, biodiversity and the empowerment of women.

daily-news-26.4.22.pdf