‘A tree per term' campaign that won Maseno student recognition at global forum

When Dedie Mwenda reported to Maseno School, Kisumu County in 2022, one of the first things he observed was a compound with few trees.

Out of his passion for the environment, he started thinking of improving his new school by making it greener through tree planting. Being a new student, however, he needed to find out whether the school administration would be receptive to his idea of bringing a tree whenever he reported for a new term. 

He waited until the school closed for the first term to reflect on his idea. While at home during the holiday, he called Ms Mercy Onyango, his agriculture teacher, and shared the idea. 

“I told her about my plan to bring a tree to school every new term.

“If I carried a tree every term and planted it, I would influence others as I played my part in preserving the global air quality since trees are important in purifying the air and cushioning the environment against excessive heating," says Mwenda, who is now in Form Three. 

Ms Onyango responded positively to Mwenda's idea. She introduced him to Mr Eric Awuonda, their geography teacher and the school's patron for the Environmental and Sustainability club, who too embraced the idea. 

During second term, Mwenda travelled from Nairobi to Maseno carrying one tree seedling, the spiky-leaved araucaria, native to Chile and Argentina, also called 'the monkey puzzle'. 

After consulting Mr Awuonda, they settled on planting the seedling near the dining hall. The soft-spoken 16-year-old, with eyes set on becoming a medical doctor and an environmentalist as he loves nature and biology, has planted 12 seedlings at the school compound so far, which he carries from home. He intends to plant 20 trees by the time he leaves Form Four.

"If this idea can spread to every school, and from every school to every nation, it can have a revolutionary impact on conservation," he says. 

At the time of this interview, Mwenda was in Nairobi attending the Global Youth Environment Assembly, a United Nations Environment Programme platform where children and youth share their opinions and experiences for a better sustainable planet.

Mwenda's idea of carrying a tree to school fascinated the organisers, who invited him to attend and share his experience with other young people from around the world. He describes the exposure as a memorable experience, which will further strengthen his resolve to plant more trees and conserve the environment. 

Mwenda's journey is a product of passion and mentorship from his father. He says his father mentored him to appreciate nature at the tender age of nine.  "Once my father spots a seedling, he nurtures it until it survives on its own," he says. 

His father runs a gardening and landscaping business and he also has a tree nursery. 

"One time I was with him at his business premises and he commented: 'Nature always has its own way of rewarding somebody kind to it. Remember how environmentalist Wangari Maathai's lady luck came through her persistence in defending nature through tree planting? The same can happen to you if you persistently carry on with conservation efforts," he said.

Mr Awuonda, who accompanied Mwenda at the youth assembly, notes that visitors at Maseno School are captivated by Mwenda's "a tree-per-term" conservation drive  and always seek audience with him to learn more about the environment. 

Mr Awuonda says such was the case in January when the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Africa Centre, which conducts research on air quality, was installing an air quality measuring facility at the school. 

"Since we always look for new ideas to enhance our knowledge and skills for our conservation club, I sought audience with SEI director Philip Osano, whom I introduced to Mwenda and his tree planting agenda," says Mr Awuonda.

The school club has a 4,000-seedling nursery and participates in community environmental awareness, clean-ups and plastic waste recycling activities. 

At the UN youth environment assembly held in Nairobi's Gigiri, a call was made for governments and policymakers to develop science-driven policies that involve children and youth opinions in solving environmental, social and economic crises. 

Mwenda's call to fellow students is to plant as many trees as possible in their youth, replenish those going extinct and ensure that there are enough wood resources for sustainable use. 

He concludes the interview with an uplifting statement: "The world will overcome global warming but before that we should actively let our children participate in climate change resilient activities for them to learn to conserve nature". 

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