By Fatou Saho
The Gambia Red Cross Society has embarked on planting atleast 2,000 trees in three communities in the North Bank Region (NBR).
The activity, which is part of their anticipatory action plan, was initiated in Torro-Ba , Suwareh Kunda and Kuntaya village.
The excercise aims to help the local communities in combating climate change, to restore their forest cover, prevent soil erosion and support the biodiversity.
The trees include; mahogany, timber, mangoe, orange and a host of others.
The acting secretary general of the Gambia Red Cross Society, Abdoulie Fye, emphasised the realities of climate change and its imminent threats on people, wildlife and the environment.
As they continue their humanitarian aid with this initiative, Mr. Fye said they only revisit to plant another set of fruit trees and plants in communities that were able to survive previous trees they had planted for them.
“We monitor these trees. Any comunity that is not able to keep the trees alive, we don’t visit that place again”, he added.
The vice chairperson of Torro Ba Baobab Youth Assocition, Jaila B. Gaye, said their first priority as a youth group is to restore their forest.
She explanied: “We understand, during our childhood, you cannot go out alone due to the creepy nature of our forest, but nowadays our kids go out alone, that means our forest is damaged.”
The activity was welcomed by the elders, the youths and the children in all the three communites as they show up well prepared for the activity.
One of the community youth in Suwareh Kunda village, Lamin Jaiteh, urged his village members to nuture the trees and plants, to maintain its survival so as to prevent havoc wrek by climate change in their village and the region at large.
