We started our youth empowerment scheme with five young people from Chisengo village who are making grow bags under the Chongwe Reforestation Initiative.

The youths were taught how to make seedling bags and given materials to make 500 bags each over a period of two months. The seedling bags will be used to plant native trees as Green Gold Social prepares to plant 20,000 trees this coming rainy season.

The training, which also featured climate awareness, was meant to provide the youths with sustainable green jobs that will provide an income for them to buy school supplies and help their parents with money for food.

Green Gold Social founder Hope Mkunte says environmental protection starts with poverty elimination. “You cannot tell people to plant trees when they don’t have food at home. Even as we get ready to plant trees, we have employed young people who are collecting seeds, making seedling bags and some are going to be taking care of the seedlings and watering them until we transplant them.”

The seedling bag training was an opportunity to raise awareness about deforestation, climate change, and the importance of planting trees in Chisengo village where most native trees have been cut down for charcoal.

Speaking after the training, one of the young women, Veronica, said she was happy to have learned a new skill. “Thanks to Green Gold Social, I now know how to make seedling bags which we will use for planting trees.”

Each youth was provided with a stapler, staples, black polythene plastic, and scissors to use for making the seedling bags.

When asked why Green Gold Social did not buy ready-made seedling bags, Founder Hope Mkunte said that would eliminate the team building that the making of seedling bags provides.

“Since we are self-funded, it’s cheaper for us to make our own seedling bags. Also, it fosters community involvement as the young people are involved in every step of the process. This helps them bond and learn the importance of working together as a team.”

The young people, who are between the ages of 15 and 20, created 170 seedling bags after the training.

The Chongwe Reforestation project, funded by the Pollination Initiative, will see 20,000 trees planted and more than 30 youths empowered as they collect seeds, make seedling bags, and take care of the seedlings.