The Scottish registered charity and UoE society ‘Edinburgh Global Partnerships’ collaborated with the local NGO based in Tanzania ‘EnviroCare’ to teach environmental education to primary and secondary  students and establish tree nurseries in their school gardens. The volunteers from the university of Edinburgh fundraised money during the academic year 2017-18 in order to raise around £8000 that would go entirely towards the project. They then travelled to 22 different schools during their visit to South-Western Tanzania – in the Songwe region – in the months of July and August, starting off the project which will continue at least until April 2019.

View of one of the secondary schools we taught and planted at

During the lesson on environmental issues and agroforestry, the teacher from the school translated for us to the primary school kids

Secondary school students taking notes during our lesson on the environment

The volunteers sorting out seeds to be planted at the tree nurseries in the school gardens

Establishing a tree nursery. First step – ploughing the soil

Step two – mixing the soil with manure

Steps three and four, adding mulch and water

A tree seedling from one of the first tree nurseries established. We went back to check on the nursery progress two weeks later our first visit.

The Songwe regional council owns a big tree nursery and we visited it to donate more tree seeds, that once grown into seedlings would be given to the community.