Mussa S. Mashishanga(chaperon) [participant:Victor N. Livingstone]
*Group name
Children's Health and Environment Club (CHEC)
*Country/Region
Tanzania-East Africa
*Type of Group
Community
*Number of total members of your group/project
9 Members
*Number of regular participants in activities
7 members
*Characteristic of members
Most of members of our club come from farmers' families, and live within Lake Victoria basin in Mwanza. During our school holidays, we enjoy planting trees and share environment awareness among our age mates; we clean the river mirongo which drain into Lake Victoria, in order to keep the lake clean and beautiful
*Theme(s) of your group/project
*Biodiversity, *Forests/tree planting, *Nature conservation, *Water issues, *Human Rights, *Climate Change/ Global Warming Effect, *Wastes and Recycling
*Missions and activities of your group/project
Children's Health and Environment Club, our mission is to bring a sustainable community and nature together for the benefit of both, where community live in harmony with and contribute meaningfully to our Health, physically, Mentally and to our local environment.
CHEC will be at the forefront of the movement to create awareness among children/community on environmental issues and their health by empowering children by creating innovative resources and by transforming educational values. The club shall be influence positive changes and establish and enabling environment programmes for grassroots children/community, to inspire and work with children/community to clean up, fix up and conserve our environment. To meet with our mission, we carry out plant trees, continual supply of trees nurseries established, share environment awareness with our age mates and classmates and conduct seminars, we engage children in creating and sustaining health, dynamic outdoor spaces in our community and our homes. We believe that children stewardship creates vibrant neighbourhood, a health natural environment and a sustainable society for all.
*Characteristics of the group/project activities
Our group has members with age between 10-16 year old, both girls and boys. Our club was launched since 2004 after making research on environment and seeing the need of restoreling and conserving our nature around which has been under threats. We did this in assistance of Mr. Mussa S. Mashishanga, whom is acting as our club leader and coordinator. Each member contribute small donation to run our projects. And some parents also give us small donation on our projects. We carry our activities on weekends and holidays.We well come any interested group/organization to support our projects financially. Currently we're working on Lake Victoria (fresh water) catchment area Aforestation project-(Tanzania water).
So far we have done the follows:-
Community awareness on environment management
• 110 posters were designed and printed which we placed in public places
• 3 talks were given to local people
• 1 seminar of two days was conducted to educate about the importance of the wetland, and around 100 people were ttending every day.
• Environment awareness education is given to our age mates and classmates.
Tree planting campaign
• 300 trees were planted in churches, along the roadsides and along the river mirongo, Waste products such as plastics, cans entering the Lake was collected during the clean up week campaign.
*Most importnat way of thinking of your group/project for environment
More countryside and natural habitats are being destroyed to accommodate increasing human population needs. Trees are being cut down for use as firewood and paper causing further global warming and loss of habitat for animals, Also trees absorb less carbon dioxide.Government should act as role models. We need to
• Stop deforestation through very strong legislation
• Plant more trees because desert areas are expanding due to deforestation.
• Protect the countryside that we have left
• Have awareness for communities focusing on the importance of trees and how human beings depend on trees
• Look for alternative sources of wood, fuel and paper
*What kind of group/project do you want to exchange for imformation and experience with?
Biodiversity, forests/tree planting, Nature conservation, Climate change effect, Land and soil, Chemicals, Waste and Recycling, Urban issues, Air pollution and others.
*Short message for exchange with other group/project
All's not lost in the world today. Although we have made several mistakes, we who will inherit the planet still have a chance to improve what we have together, Plan to begin to create a sustainable environment management on the positives of today. This is what needs to be done.
*Impression of Children's World Summit for the Environment 2005 Aichi
Children's world summit for the environment 2005, which took place in Aichi-Japan, was so exciting and impressed event to all participants, but more impressed to delegates from Union Republic of Tanzania. Through experiments, games, hands on experience, koko the great Gorilla, the EXPO 2005 few to mention real impressed us so much. Congratulation organizer, Japan Organising committee-Japan Organizing Committee for the 2005 Children's World Summit for the Environment and United Nations Environment Programme-UNEP.
*Others
Real each and everything related to environment is ok. But there are obstacles to face which hinder us from implementing our environment activities. Such as poor environment awareness among the community members, shortage of financial. Environment activities are painful, we call upon other organisations such as VOLVO ADVENTURE to support young environmentalist Clubs or groups all over the world.
We would like to invite any volunteers organisation or an individual volunteers to come and join us in the bid of environment activities, any technical support from any country who wish us the best we well come them to come and assist people of Tanzania.
The summit promoted our activities in such a way that we shared experiences from other action groups all over the world whom attended the summit. As per now, to some extent people in our community have begun to support our idea, the good thing is, the state of Tanzania (congratulation to our Honourable President Jakaya Murisho Kikwete) has formed a new ministry for environment after 2005 general election. We hope to see big changes all over the country concerning environment activities. Everyone can make a difference in the environment.
*Contact person
Mr. Mussa S. Mashishanga
*Contact Address
P.O.Box 2908, Buzuluga, Mwanza, Republic Union of Tanzania, East-Africa.
chectz@yahoo.com
mpsitta@yahoo.com
mpsitta2@hotmail.com
