Planting to protect Haiti
Planting to protect Haiti
On the first of May – Labour Day – in Port-au-Prince, men, women, young and old, celebrated as a community.
In a park which has historically been stripped of its trees by local people in search of firewood, families gathered to dance, sing and plant saplings.
The parade marked the launch of a World Vision project which will provide quake-affected people with small urban gardens and cash in exchange for planting trees.
Rains
On Labour Day, the community planted for free, knowing that the rains are soon coming to the capital. They explained how reinvigorating the environment helps mitigate against drought and flooding.
"Every May we always plant trees as it's important to give strength to the earth," said Virginia, 34. "It protects the soil when it rains."
Virginia lives in the neighbouring camp, which has also dug trenches in preparation for the imminent rainy season.
On the first of May camp residents, supported by World Vision, put on plays and prepared a celebratory meal to show how important the environment is to their community.
"We want the country to be filled with trees and to be green," said 17-year-old Marie.
"I don't want to be a victim of flooding so we're planting trees to avoid degradation. With more trees, the rain will not take the soil away when it pours."
Saplings
World Vision has provided 100 saplings to the active community. Over the coming months ten hectares of farmland will be reforested.
World Vision's agriculture expert Dr. Christophe Asauzi explained, "One of the major problems in Haiti is degradation of the environment.
“We face drought and flooding because the environment has not been properly taken care of.
“To minimise the risk of calamities and improve agriculture in a sustainable way we are simply working with local communities to plant more trees."