Kampala; Stanbic Bank, Total Uganda and Roofings have today announced a tripartite partnership to support over 250 secondary schools to plant atleast150, 000 fruit trees in a bid to redevelop Uganda’sreceding forest cover.
Under the tripartite, at least 250 secondary schools will collectively plant 110, 000 fruit trees in their respective school spaces which will ultimately support the children’s nutrition needs while conserving the environment.
Employees of Stanbic Bank Uganda and Total Uganda willalso collectively plant 40, 000 fruit trees making a total of150,000 before the end of the 2021.
According to data from Uganda’s Environment Ministry and National Forestry Authority, the country loses on average,122,000 ha/year of forest cover, annually.
Since 2020, Stanbic Bank has supported communities to plant over 25000 trees through its annual National SchoolsChampionship (NSC) a programme implemented as part of thebank’s sustainability agenda. The bank is also part of another multi-partner media campaign dubbed “Taasa Obutonde.”
Speaking shortly before signing the tripartite, Anne Juuko, Stanbic Uganda Chief Executive Officer said, “We welcomethis partnership with Total Uganda and Roofings, together, weshall more than triple our efforts in this long-term struggle tosave our environment.”
Ms. Juuko added that the campaign also aims at contributingtowards realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 13 and 15, which, respectively, call for concerted efforts tomitigate climate change and sustainable life on land.
“Strategic Partnerships, as per SDG 17, are vital if we are to realize all the goals before 2030 deadline, we hope thatStanbic’s partnership with Total Uganda and Roofings willinspire many more local corporate partnerships to support Uganda’s Goals’ Agenda,” she added.
Daniel Mayieka, the Managing Director of Total Uganda said, the partnership reinforces the Group’s new climate ambitionaimed at getting a net-zero by 2050 together with society, agoal aligned with the organization’s purpose to provide energythat is more reliable, affordable, and clean to as many peopleas possible.
“Total Uganda Foundation has made forest preservation andrestoration a key focus of its work and is supporting projects to preserve and restore forests. We have therefore, decided tostrategically partner with Stanbic bank and Roofings limited for this cause and to improve the environment in communities and schools as we drive the tree planting culture in Uganda aswell as becoming carbon neutral over time,” Mayieka said.
Roofings Group Executive Director Nashila Lalani said the partnership helps reinforce the Group’s re-wilding and Ubuntu efforts that deeply embedded within its Corporate SocialInvestment programme implemented through the ForeverForestry Initiative.
Nashila Lalani, also added that this partnership gives Roofings an opportunity to tap into the mindsets of the next generations in aligning the country towards sustainable co-existence withnature.
“We are therefore facilitating the Stanbic National SchoolsChampionship program in regreening hundreds of schoolswhich in turn provides environmental stability for thegenerations that will come after us”, Nashila added.
Why schools
By choosing schools as touch points, the partners believe they will help influence the young generation to engage in activities that are geared towards conserving the environment.
“This campaign strictly focuses on helping schools to plant fruit trees which in future, will not only support the nutrition needs of students but also regreen the school environment; thecollective impact of these schools will be notable across thecountry,” said Juuko.
Majority of the participating schools have ample land where they will plant the allocated fruit trees whileusing the studentpopulation to take care of their growth journey into mature forests.
