One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between man and nature shall not be broken. A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.
There is a great need to conserve and protect the environment, to develop forests and to conserve the wildlife.
This has become imperative and an urgent requirement as against the over-exploitation of national resources in the name of development and as a result of desired replenishment of all the natural resources.
Deforestation continues to be a major environmental issue. Many forests are losing countless acres of valuable trees, and because these trees are destroyed, the greenhouse gases they were storing go back into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. Animals and people lose their food supply and homes, and the economic status of a region can also change because less forests often leads to less employment opportunities in the area.
What we do?
TREE POWER
Tree Power is an education programme for schools. Tree Power supports teachers and schools to inspire new generations about the local and global importance of trees and forests through an innovative combination of global learning and outdoor learning.
TREE POWER’s objectives are to:
- Enable children to explore the role of trees and forests in environmental, economic, social and cultural terms.
- Enable children to explore the causes of deforestation, and its impact on the environment, farming, climate change, and livelihoods.
- Engage children as local guardians of trees (through tree planting and care projects)
- Engage children as global guardians of trees (through taking action against deforestation and irresponsible consumption of tree products).
Tree Power pedagogy
Tree Power provides a holistic approach to teaching and learning about trees and forests, bringing the local and global together and incorporating elements from both environmental and global education. Tree Power encourages children to become both (informed) Tree Explorers and (active) Tree Guardians.
The importance of outdoor education for children’s development is increasingly recognised. Young people spend less and less time playing and learning outside.
Tree Power also helps schools develop learners’ values in relation to social and environmental justice and to global citizenship. Concepts of interdependence and sustainable development are common to both global learning and outdoor education.
In the long term, Tree Power seeks to change consumer behaviour in order to slow and ultimately end deforestation; to restore the natural environment and biodiversity; secure the lives of people who depend directly or indirectly on forests and trees; and combat climate change.
Vasundhara has partnered with a number of Development Education and Global Learning centres to develop and pilot the Tree Power course with teachers and schools.
Tree Power is about :
- Both the local and global importance of trees and forests
- Creating powerful learning experiences for children through practical immersion in woodlands and forests and sharing of learning between schools in Africa and the UK
- Real life stories about the role of trees and forests in livelihoods and cultures
- The use of trees and forest resources and the UK’s impact on global deforestation
Plant trees as a way to give back because it aids in the restoration of homes for wildlife, food sources, and medicinal properties that only the trees provide. As trees grow, they protect soil from harsh weather conditions and protect us from excess carbon dioxide, enabling us to live longer and more comfortably. Help to replenish what is being taken away by giving back to the Earth.
Mission
Our mission is to protect, plant, cultivate and promote trees in partnership with local communities in ways which support the :
- conservation of trees, forests, associated biodiversity and indigenous knowledge about the wise and sustainable use of trees, plants, soils, water and other natural resources;
- advocacy and promotion of public awareness of both local and global environmental and socio-economic issues created by deforestation and unsustainable agriculture and the potential of trees to rehabilitate degraded land, generate livelihood benefits and combat climate change;
- building of the capacity of local communities to increase their resilience to environmental degradation and climate shocks through supporting the establishment of community-led natural resource management strategies;
- improvement of livelihoods in rural communities through the sustainable use of forests and forest products, especially through the cultivation and use of traditional foods and medicines to improve food security, nutrition, and health;
- adoption of agro-ecology and agroforestry practices to develop sustainable agricultural systems that generate income, create jobs and business opportunities;
- development of socially and environmentally desirable local governance and community by-laws which meet the needs and aspirations of local communities, while contributing to the formulation of more effective national and regional policies.
Values
All of our work is guided and informed by distinctive values:
- Partnership: Vasundhara seeks to develop respectful, equitable and sustainable partnerships with the localities it supports.
- Accessibility: Vasundhara seeks to make its programmes and processes accessible to all those associated with the Tree Plantation project
- Transparency: Vasundhara will be open about its role in maintaining ecological balance
- Ethics: Vasundhara seeks to promote and uphold ethical relationships between people, the natural environment and wildlife. We seek to support projects that promote the equal participation of both men and women and comply with guidance on conservation of nature.
Strategy
We have four strategic aims which are delivered through sustainable tree plantation programmes with local partners
- Education:Foster an understanding of the amenity, ecological and economic value of trees.
- Livelihoods: Enable communities to develop and restore sustainable and productive landscapes through tree cultivation.
- Environment: Increase tree cover, promote reforestation and appropriate tree cultivation.
- Capacity Building: Build capacity in community organisations to advocate, share knowledge and implement community based forestry and agroforestry.
TREES PLANTED IN 2018 : 1000
HELP US PLANT MORE TREES