1000 Trees for
IFO
By Jeremy
Leariwala.
One day as we were travelling from Ifo Police Station to
Dagahaley Police Post our driver pointed to an open ground on our left side and
said something that excited my brain. “There were a lot of trees here when I
came to Dadaab. This camp was not here by then but now they have cut down all
the trees.” Every time we passed that road I always looked at that field and
wondered why the community living on our right hand side had to clear it
mercilessly.
We
drove for about 500 meters and came across a long line of women carrying loads
of firewood on their backs. They are common here and if not the women there
would always be a convoy of donkey carts laden with wood or a combination of
both. I could not believe the damage the community had caused within five
years. ‘What would happen after the next five years if action is not taken?’ I
muse before we come across an old man seated under a shrub probably half his
height. His face was awash with sweat but he must have been thankful for the
small shade provided.
When I was growing up my elder brother used to call for a
village meeting sometimes when he came home from his job station. My family
together with our neighbours would be present. One principle he always insisted
on was: “If you want to cut down one tree here, first plant two!” There were no
community tree nurseries by then. He made us report to him anyone who cut down
a tree without planting two around the village. I can say that our village
enjoys the largest tree cover to date.
The old man we spotted squatting under a shrub also reminded
me of the days I spent in the city. I paid to sit under a shade in Nairobi. Free
shades were either crowded, far to reach or insecure. Thus if I had to occupy a
seat in a restaurant or shop, then I had to buy something therein. You will
appreciate the importance of trees the day you will ‘decide’ to walk out of
your comfort zone or situations force you to leave them.
If my brother could stop our villagers from cutting trees, I
think I can join my friends to plant trees too. If there were lots of trees
here when we established our stations, then we can replant 3 trees each and
protect them before the next rain season (that starts in August 2015). Tree planting
need not be a one day activity after which all the seedlings are left to wither
out.
Of
course you are aware of other benefits of trees apart from the shade. If you
have been to Ifo Police Station, then you must have noted an expansive bare
ground in front of it. The amount of dust that rises from that field as it’s
picked and blown into the station blocks is torturous. IFO area in general is
hot, dry and windy but all places bordering bare grounds here can only be
described as dusty, tormentors, ugly locations. I can bet that IFO Station
leads. But we have made a decision. Since we are not just here to maintain law
and order, we will plant trees to replace those our customers have destroyed. We
are aiming at 1000 trees (15 trees per officer) before the next rain season and
we would take care of them for the next one year; that is during our free time.
These trees would protect us from the dusty winds and prove that we can cover
the bare fields being created by the charcoal burners and firewood collectors. This
place will have a new look soon.
