Community meeting in Bolero

5th December 2016:

What we have learned to do in 11 years is to talk to the real people of the area, with very serious emphasis on the women.  There is no need for enormous and expensive sensitising programmes going to days and weeks, and we don't and won't do it.
A group will include the traditional authorities who will soon realise that we mean business and that we will always under-promise and over-deliver. Its then up to them to come on board or wait in-line for the next occasion.

These are part of an amazing community, neglected, I believe, by Government and the white jeep brigade of the AID BUSINESS.

We are working with them on a water project which is winding its way to bring clean, safe drinking water to 8,500 households. Sadly I haven't met them, but gladly I don't have to. We have an excellent team on-it and its the home area of Rose, so all will be fine

If you look in the centre of the pic, in red, beside Rose you will see our latest volunteer, Bhati Msiska. She arrived about 3 weeks ago, offering to help as she had heard that great things were happening!!!

She is a Fourth Year student of Forestry at Mzuzu University where the Government are refusing to pay the teachers, as in many other Universities and have close the colleges.
Her course may not may now not finish until next year. She has settled-in and is involved in everything we do, including teaching in the Centre on Saturdays. 
She is also working hard on locating (and buying) suitable seeds to begin the nurseries we need.

ANY HELP OUT THERE to work on YOUR climate change

Malawi needs forestry in thousands of acres to the power of 10.
So we are going to upscale our involvement and what better place to begin, with people who really want to move on with their lives.

My view about planting trees when asked what is the best time to sow trees? I always answer25 years ago, 
but the next best time is now, 
and now we will begin.

We are searching and planning the best varieties and I like coppicing trees, where if they cut them down they will regrow in spite of the Malawi culture of not replanting anything, except maybe maize which they need to eat.

Wish us well, because we need the Universe to collude!!

Our carrot for communities is our 35,000, improved variety  fruit trees, to offer as an incentive.
Afforestation is about strategic planning, unshaken dedication and PATIENCE