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Victor Maphosa

Mash East Bureau

Planting trees and forests can help defeat destruction from climate change and Nyaradzo Group and churches in Marondera have initiated a programme that will see extensive planting of trees to push back deforestation. 

Through planting of these trees at church premises dotted across Marondera town, the initiative will improve health and hygiene and is a step towards mitigating effects of climate change. The partnership has seen several churches planting trees on their premises. 

Addressing delegates at a meeting held at the Church of Christ recently, one of the local pastors Reverend Lawrence Chipunza said the church will always be ready to contribute towards the fight against deforestation, desertification, hunger and global warming, among other devastating effects of climate change. 

“Charity begins at home and that fact should always ring in our ears every time,” he said. “As churches, it is our mandate to be responsible custodians of the environment by leading practical cleaning services, tree planting, greening and beautification of places of worship. 

“We are pleased to be partnering with Nyaradzo in this noble gesture.” 

In this initiative, churches will be complementing environmental preservation just like what stakeholders such as Clean Marondera, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), the Forestry Commission and others have been doing. 

Nyaradzo Group’s Marondera branch manager Ms. Pauline Mjanja commended the church for taking up the programme without hesitation and contributing to greener environments in and around Marondera. 

He said such partnership with churches should be commended and will go a long way in safeguarding the environment. 

“As Nyaradzo, we are glad to be working with the churches in Marondera,” she said. “President Mnangagwa always makes the call for Zimbabweans to keep the environment clean and this is one of the initiatives that will go a long way in ensuring just that. 

“By keeping a clean environment, the spreading of diseases can be prevented. We hope that all church denominations domiciled in Marondera will embrace the initiative.” 

Ms Munjanja called on everyone to guard the environment jealously and contribute to its growth through planting of more trees. 

Through their department of Friends of the Environment, Nyaradzo Group is involved in a lot of tree planting programmes across the country. 

In Mashonaland East, besides partnering with churches, the company also is involved in a programme partnering chiefs where they gave each traditional leader fruit trees to plant at their homes.