Category: Activities

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Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Initiative – Conville Primary School

Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Initiative Conville Primary School Precious Tree Project

SITE #5: Conville Primary School

The school is located in Conville, Thembalethu, in George. The school has approximately 1600 learners (Grade 1 to Grade 7). The school is a public primary school and as a Section 21 school and is accordingly allocated some financial funding by the department but remains responsible for ordering stationery, textbooks, paying water and lights accounts and undertaking their own maintenance. It is a no fee institution. Community fundraising to bring in additional income into the school is not a possibility, given the low socio-economic bracket within which the community falls. The school relies on external funding for the upkeep of the school.

There is an existing food kitchen that feeds all the learners 2 meals per day. The intention of the school is to invest in a vegetable and fruit garden that can support most of the vegetable needs of the school kitchen.

The staff and learners of Conville Primary School & The Precious Tree Project Team Say THANK YOU WMO!

Check out the Youtube video below!


If you would like to Gift an indigenous tree click here OR visit https://www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject.

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Collaborating for Nature

The Touw River Conservancy (TRC) is a local conservation body focused on increased conservation efforts on private and municipal property in the Greater Wilderness Area. Much of their volunteer efforts in conservation are geared towards clearing invasive vegetation as a first level priority step in any rehabilitation or reforestation process. Clearing invasive trees is a labour intensive process and a labour of love by the TRC team who put their own time and effort into it.

The TRC has been clearing a site in Wilderness Heights which has been identified as one of many vital corridors for wildlife in the area, most of which are shrinking as a result of rising higher density development in the area and overrun by non-indigenous invasive vegetation. This site used to be an old cattle dip for the farmers many years ago, but neglected from disuse as farms were subdivided into smallholdings. It become heavily infested with pine, wattle gum, bugweed, to name a few of the highly invasive non-indigenous species dominating the competition for space and water.

In 2022, the TRC joined the George Municipality’s Adopt-a-Spot program whereby it has undertaken to continue to clear, maintain and rehabilitate the site – now recognised as a heritage site in the Garden Route. When Precious Tree Project was donated funds by the Wilderness Ratepayers and Residents Association (WRRA) and George Tourism as part of the Wilderness Centenary and Beautification Project, we allocated the funds towards planting out in a mini-forest pocket on the site.

Since many of the leaves of indigenous trees are a vital food source for many of the wildlife species in the area, irrespective of the age of the tree, we got creative in our tree protection methods structures giving the trees time to take root and ground themselves.

A big round of applause to the TRC and its committee members involved in the rehabilitation of this site and for all those local community members who joined in and gave a helping hand on the day.

Click here if you would like to sponsor an indigenous South African forest tree towards our wildlife corridors in the Garden Route OR visit www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject.

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Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Initiative – Touwsranten Primary School

Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Initiative Touwsranten Primary School Precious Tree Project

SITE #4: Touwsranten Primary School

The school is located in Touwsranten, Hoekwil  – in the George District.  The school has 432 learners (Grade 1 to Grade 7). This quaint little school is well maintained on the limited funds provided by the Dpt. of Education and is a public primary school.  The school is a Section 21 school meaning it is allocated finances by the department and is responsible for ordering stationery, textbooks, paying water and lights accounts and undertaking their own maintenance of the school.

There is a small food kitchen that feeds all the learners 3 meals per day which is supported by a small scale vegetable garden (currently not sufficient to supply the food kitchen with all of its requirements). The majority of the learners attending do not have a pre-packed lunch as they reside in a low-income bracket community in which the school is situated. The school grounds are visibly absent of trees.

The staff and learners of Touwsranten Primary School & The Precious Tree Project Team Say THANK YOU WMO!

Check out the Youtube video below!


To Gift a Tree click here OR visit www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject to make a donation / sponsor a tree.

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Planting Action Speaking Louder than Eco Words

Planting Action Speaking Louder than Eco Words

Rock the Route and PANGEA Trails are local ECO Adventure Tourism businesses who have been ongoing supporters of Precious Tree Project since 2018. Both companies offer tours around South Africa and include multi-day tours to the Garden Route. Both companies recognise that the tourism services they have on offer come with an environmental footprint and remain committed to sponsoring trees with Precious Tree Project for every seat sold on every tour they conduct. This means that as the seats add up, so do the numbers of trees we get to plant out in one of our wildlife corridor rehabilitation projects.

This month we selected Eastbrook Wildlife Corridor as the site to plant out these trees in our usual “biomimicked forest patch” way.

Thumbs up to Rock the Route/PANGEA Trails for their contributions and making this planting session possible! This mini-forest will help restore biodiversity in the corridor, provide a valuable source of food and a safe haven for wildlife passing through.

Thumbs up to them also pitching in and helping us plant out their trees on the day!

Thumbs up to our very important planters for showing up every time to plant a mini-forest!

www.rocktheroute.co.za
www.facebook.com/rocktheroute

www.pangeatrails.com
www.facebook.com/pangeatrails

Click here if you would like to sponsor an indigenous South African forest tree towards our wildlife corridors in the Garden Route OR www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject.

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Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Initiative – Dellville Park Primary School

Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Initiative Dellville Park Primary School Precious Tree Project

SITE #3: Dellville Park Primary School

The school is located in Dellville, Pacaltsdorp – in George.  The school has 1400 learners (Grade 1 and Grade 7). One percent of the learners come from the Dellville community itself.  Ninety nine percent of the learners come from Thembalethu at large – which falls into a lower economic bracket than the Dellville community itself. The Department of Education provides limited funding to the school covering staff salaries as well as education fees for 100 out of the 1400 learners). The balance of learners are funded by a range of small fundraising initiatives the school holds on a monthly basis, which is allocated to funding the learners’ education itself.

There is a food kitchen that feeds 500 of the children. These children are given three meals each day from the kitchen (feeding those learners who do not have pre-packed lunches). The numbers of learners attending the school without a pre-packed lunch is on the rise and the school has been in need of additional fruit trees and vegetable seeds to fulfill the requirements of the Nutrition Program

The staff and learners of Dellville Park Primary School & The Precious Tree Project Team Say THANK YOU WMO!

Check out the Youtube video below!


If you would like to Sponsor or Gift an indigenous tree click here OR visit https://www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject.

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A New Rehabilitation Story – Eastbrook Wildlife Biodiversity Corridor

eastbrook wildlife biodiversity corridor precious tree project

Our rehabilitation & assisted reforestation efforts are targeted at existing identified as well as potential new wildlife corridors spanning the area between Wilderness and Sedgefield. We have now added a third wildlife corridor rehabilitation project into our Projects portfolio – the Eastbrook Wildlife Corridor, in Karatara.

The corridor passes through a number of privately owned pieces of property, so buy in and collaboration with landowners is key. The corridor is significant as it runs between the Karatara and Hoegekraal Rivers, giving wildlife access to vital water sources that are often cut off as a result of impenetrable or electrified fences erected around property boundaries.

A big thank you to Chrissy Bosman for recognizing the need to restore biodiversity, protect and rehabilitate the wildlife corridors in her area, as well as for her commitment to helping us achieve our own long term vision.

Click here if you would like to sponsor an indigenous South African forest tree towards our wildlife corridors in the Garden Route – OR – visit www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject to make a donation.

Check out the YouTube video below!

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Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Initiative – Mzoxolo Pre-Primary School

Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Initiative - Mzoxolo Pre-Primary School Precious Tree Project

SITE #2: Mzoxolo Pre-Primary School

Mzoxolo Pre-Primary and Lawaaikamp Creche is a small school situated in the industrial area of Lawaaikamp, Thembalethu, in George. The school accommodates approximately 600 children, between the ages of 3 and 7 years (Creche and Grade R learners). There are 6 classes of  3-4 year old learners and 6 classrooms of Grade R learners (of which 3 are situated at the Primary School across the street).

The school is situated in a low-income community, where many of the community members live around the breadline and where unemployment levels are high. Fundraising  from within the Lawaaikamp and Thembalethu communities is not a possibility and the pre-primary school is heavily reliant on external,  outside-the-community funding to support the school’s maintenance and upliftment requirements.

Aside from a few trees in the front area, the grounds are absent of trees for shade and privacy from the noisy surrounds of the industrial area. 

The staff and learners of Mzoxolo Pre-Primary School, Lawaaikamp Creche & The Precious Tree Project Team Say THANK YOU WMO!

Check out the Youtube video below!


If you would like to sponsor an indigenous tree click here OR visit https://www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject.

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Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Initiative – Mzoxolo Primary School

Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Initiative - WMO Mzoxolo Primary School 13 Oct 2022 Precious Tree Project

SITE #1: Mzoxolo Primary School

The Mzoxolo Primary School is situated in Lawaaikamp in George – a low income area where many of the community members live around the breadline and are largely unemployed. The school consists of 1500 learners from Grade 2 to Grade 7 with an average of 40 learners per class. Fundraising for the school from within the community is not a possibility and the school is reliant on external / outside-the-community funding to support the school and its upliftment requirements. To-date, the school relies on the limited funding provided by the Department of Education.

There is a small existing vegetable garden that feeds a small soup kitchen (linked to the Dpt. of Health’s introduction of a nutrition program for learners in 2021) that is in need of fruit trees and vegetable seedlings.

The staff and learners of Mzoxolo Primary School & The Precious Tree Project Team Say THANK YOU WMO!

Check out the Youtube video below!


If you would like to sponsor an indigenous tree click here OR visit https://www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject.

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A Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Collaboration with the World Memon Organisation

A Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Collaboration

Precious Tree Project is collaborating with the World Memon Organisation – Youth Wing Africa Chapter in a Youth Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness initiative in George Municipality. The initiative will be focusing on planting out a combination of indigenous trees and fruit trees at a number of primary schools and learning centres in underprivileged communities in the George Municipality. We selected TEN primary schools/education centres where we spent the day planting and discussing the benefits of trees. 

A really BIG Thank you to WMO – African Youth Wing for investing in our local schools and facilitating a journey  of opening the minds of these learners a little wider to the numerous benefits of trees and the importance of the natural environment in our own health and well-being.

https://www.facebook.com/wmoworld | wmoworld.org

Watch this space and follow our WMO Africa Youth Wing Environmental Awareness journey with the staff and learners of the participating schools.

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After Action Satisfaction

After-Action-Satisfaction-WHWC-17-September-2022-Precious-Tree-Project

The “Shamboh” Wildlife Corridor in Wilderness Heights has been one of our focal sites of ongoing rehabilitation over the past few years. Returning to the area to continue clearing out aliens and then coming back to plant out another mini-forest brings with it the opportunity to observe the natural reforestation taking place in the corridor in between our assisted reforestation efforts, as well as the satisfaction of seeing the growth of the mini-forest pockets we have planted out in previous sessions.

Each planting session is a labour of love taken on by our volunteers and becomes an exercise of short term fun for medium and long term gain. All made possible by your individual sponsors via our Gift-a-Tree platform. Thank you!

Click here if you would like to sponsor an indigenous South African forest tree towards our wildlife corridors in the Garden Route OR visit payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject.