1. Introduction

 

The annual Creation Care Initiative is a seasonal activity which aims at bringing together collective effort of the SCOM family to fulfill our divine mandate as stewards of God's creation. In line with this SCOM’s annual theme, "Raising an Upright Generation," the 2023 2024 creation care program supported the theme by instilling values of responsibility, compassion, and reverence for the environment in the hearts of students and members.

2. Planned Activities and progress made

In its commitment to nurture a generation that honors and cares for God's creation, SCOM planned to mobilize students to rise up to the call for a tree planting exercise. SCOM’s message during the exercise was the call to not only plant the trees, but to ensure that the trees are taken care of that they survive and grow.

2.1.      Participation in the Lilongwe City Assembly Tree Planting Exercise

SCOM commenced its Creation Care activity with an active participation in the Lilongwe City Assembly Tree Planting Exercise on 26 January 2024. Along with other stakeholders from the public and private sectors, trees were planted around the Area 18 Interchange and along Presidential Highway on.

 

2.2.      Mobilization and planting of tree seedlings in university and secondary school campuses

Tree seedlings for the exercise were mobilised from a number of stakeholders such as institutions as well as individuals. SCOM received a very encouraging support from the following organisations and individuals:

 

INSTITUTION/INDIVIDUAL	# OF TREE SEEDLINGS
Lilongwe City Assembly	300 (Including fruits seedlings)
Chitipa District Forestry Office	1646
Pastor Alick Nyirenda (Mzuzu)	600
Mr. Willan Kalinda (Mzuzu)	100
Mss. Q. Kachaje (Lilongwe)	17
	2663

 

The tree seedlings received from Lilongwe City Assembly were designated for schools within Lilongwe City and were planted as follows:, Nchesi CDSS (55), Kawale CDSS (55), Chilinde CDSS (55), Phereni CDSS (70), Dalo PVT Secondary school (28) and Chipasula Secondary School (42) which also included the donation from Mss Q.Kachaje.

 

Seedlings donated by Chitipa District Forestry Office were planted within Chitipa District Secondary Schools. The seedlings donated by Pastor Alick Nyirenda and Mr Willan Kalinda were distributed and planted within Mzuzu city as follows: Luwinga Secondary School (50) Katoto Secondary School (50), University of Livingstonia - Kaning'ina Campus (300). 100 were sent to Chitipa District.

 

In Lilongwe the planting exercise included an exhortation from the Bible in the Book of Genesis 2:15 (NIV) which says “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it”. Students were taught that the exercise of planting trees started with God. God made sure He has created a complete eco system which could support man’s life. The duty given to man was to work and care for what was already planted. But due to human bad practices the ecosystem has been damaged and therefore we should be seen to work to restore a better environment.

 

In order to enhance care and survival of the trees, SCOM was deliberately encouraging groups within the school such as the SCOM branch, wild life clubs to be in the fore front to take care of the trees. In some instances individual students were committing themselves to take care of each tree they planted.

 

Head teachers in the schools were very thankful to SCOM for the initiative. During the planting exercise at Nchesi CDSS, the head teacher was happy to see that there were fruit trees among the seedlings. Taking a nutrition point of view, the head teacher differentiated children in the city and those in the villages. She said the children in the city do not easily have enough fruits unless they are bought from the market. Their school, she said, receive many less privileged students who, in future, will benefit from the fruits.

 

3. Challenges Faced.

The main challenge that was raised was that in some of the schools in Lilongwe, the trees may either be destroyed or stolen by members of the community. It was feared that some bad behaved members of the community uproot the trees to go and plant in their own yards.

4. Conclusion

SCOM is very thankful to Lilongwe City Assembly, Chitipa District Forestry Office, Pastor Alick Nyirenda, Mr. Willan Kalinda and Mss. Q. Kachaje (Lilongwe) for the support that they rendered towards the initiative. SCOM is also grateful to Head teachers and their administrations including all students who supported the exercise in their schools. Special recognition also goes to Chitipa SCOMAF Zone for being the highest performers in the 2023 2024 tree planting exercise. They mobilised tree seedlings from as far as Mzuzu to the district.

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