There is work going on behind the scenes to establish a Tree Garden project involving a school in Elgin, Rotary, Mayega Children’s Centre and Mayega Primary School. We hope to apply for funding in the middle of the year but some preliminary fieldwork has been going on in Mayega.

The Centre planted many young trees in its compound from July 2019 and approximately 70% have survived and are growing well. Regular watering is the key. The School has established a pilot tree garden with over 400 seedlings and a small vegetable patch. The plan is for the seedlings to be planted out around the school and to supply neighbours.

The Tree Garden project later in the year will aim to improve the Mayega environment further and have a strong educational component. Tanzania has a problem deforestation. Not for plantations but for fuel and charcoal production.

It will be interesting to see the educational focus taken by the two schools. Initially, it seems the Scottish school has a stronger environmental/global warming interest while in Mayega it is the biology of tree growth. By bringing the two schools together in planning the project, they will undoubtedly influence each other.