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Archive - Archive 2004 - July 2013

Children respond to leader’s call and join in tree-planting campaign |03 June 2013

Children respond to leader’s call and join in tree-planting campaign

Children taking pride in nurturing the new saplings

The activity, initiated by the Institute of Early Childhood Development (IECD), was done  in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Baie Lazare district authority to reflect the IECD’s commitment to Seychellois children. 

Such collaboration is firmly being strengthened with all sectors working with children, especially those in the 0-7+ age group.

Among the local fruit saplings planted by the children, their parents and members of the community are those which will bear fruit which are becoming rare, such as the sugar apple known locally as ‘zat’ and Malay apple better known as ‘ponm local’.

This is in an effort to give value to these fruits, which were once consumed widely, especially by young children, but are now being replaced by imported ones.

IECD says that fruit trees were chosen because children are being encouraged to eat more IECD’s chief executive Shirley Choppy and a child water one of the newly planted fruit saplingsfruit and vegetables, especially those grown locally, which are less expensive and richer in vitamins, and what better way than starting at such a young age!

The Baie Lazare district authority, represented by MNA Wilby Lucas and administrator Joyce Lepathy, has welcomed this initiative and said it will assist the children, staff and management of Mum and Dad day care centre to nurture the saplings. This west Mahé day care was chosen because IECD feels the need to decentralise its activities.

The 20,000 trees campaign was initiated by President James Michel and launched officially by the Ministry for Environment and Energy on June 1 last year to coincide with Children’s Day, as was the case of the Baie Lazare activity held on Friday June 1.

The young fruit saplings were donated by the Seychelles Agriculture Agency.

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