Money does grow on trees -
Trees for Fees programme
Hundreds of school children from
disadvantaged communities in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province have been
able to pay their school fees by selling indigenous tree species.
They are participating in the "Trees for Fees" project, an
initiative run
by environmental group Wildlands Conservation Trust (WCT), a merger of
various natural resources-based organisations.
Trees for Fees coordinator Shamine Welbman said so far a pilot project was
operating at three schools in disadvantaged communities living on the edge
of conservation parks: one in St Lucia and two others in the Kwadobe and
Hluhluwe conservancy areas.
"Through the project, the trust seeks to establish relations and
contribute to community-based poverty alleviation efforts. We chose an
approach that would alleviate some of the effects of poverty by helping
the communities make money from conserving their own resources; we
identified education and resource conservation as some of the key
components in the fight against rural poverty," Welbman explained to IRIN.
"For that reason, proceeds from the first sale of trees went towards
payment of school fees."
The participating children, assisted by their parents, operate a nursery
cultivating seedlings of local and endangered tree species.
Community-based facilitators, who received formal nursery management
training from WCT, oversaw the nurseries, which were located at individual
homesteads for easy supervision and protection against browsing domestic
animals, Welbman said.
"In each community, there is a common greenhouse shed where the mature
seedlings are sold to individuals and organisations through the WCT. From
the last sale, we managed to give each child and family R200 (US $34).
Although we emphasize that the money be used for school fees, buying
school uniforms and books, we find it's even useful in buying other basic
needs, like food," she noted.
The Hluhluwe project has 175 registered participants, while the two other
projects have smaller numbers of less than 50 each. Despite the success of
the pilot phase, Welbman said plans to expand the programme to more areas
within and beyond KZN province were being hampered by a lack of funding.
"We wish to expand this project to more communities that share
boundaries
with conservation parks - we are aware of the problems and losses they
suffer in conflict with the protected animals. But our desire to help them
build community poverty safety nets are seriously hampered by a lack of
funding," Welbman emphasised. "We need donor support and, until we get
it,
the project will remain limited to the communities that are currently
participating."
The WCT operates programmes in wildlife and natural resource conservation
across the KZN province, and also provides environmental and conservation
extension services to communities around conservation parks. - IRIN
More information:
[This Item may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations.
Copyright (©) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2005]
www.irinnews.org
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