Climate change has affected food production with the increased temperatures and the rising water levels in seas and oceans.
It is estimated that Kenya alone will require sixty-two billion dollars, to mitigate the ravaging effects of climate change and rise of greenhouse gases.
This has seen governments and organizations put in extra efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The rising temperatures in various parts of the world, have been associated with the cutting down of trees through deforestation as the world’s population grows each day.
Organizations such as the United Nations have come up with mechanisms to address the issue of climate change through planting and growing trees.
Hillary Kiplagat, a youth from Chebonet in Keiyo North Sub-county has decided to play his part, however small, in mitigating the effects of climate change by starting an initiative of planting trees in the counties of Elgeyo Marakwet and Uasin Gishu.
The twenty-six-year-old said that he started planting trees while growing up at his home in Chebonet village in Elgeyo Marakwet.
“I continued with the initiative after completing form four as I wanted to be one of the people who can change the world by taking care of the ecosystem through growing trees in my own small way,” he said.
Kiplagat, however, realized that to make a lasting impact he needed to involve and inspire more people and especially the other youths like himself which led him to start an organization in 2018 to sensitize people on the importance of growing trees.
During an interview with KNA at St. Patrick’s High School in Iten where he led other youths in planting trees, Kiplagat said that he started Green Earth Ambassadors after completing college in 2018.
He told KNA that he started the organization while job hunting in Nairobi, after he completed his course on Long Distance Surveillance and Disaster Management at the Moi Airbase.
The organization, however, pick well in the city and that was when he decided to move the project to his rural home and he is happy that his move paid off.
The vibrant youth says that he is the founder and Chairperson of the Green Earth Ambassadors which has over 200 members not only in his home county of Elgeyo Marakwet but also in the neighbouring Uasin Gishu County.
He said that the group which has established its offices in Iten, estimate that they have so far been able to plant more than 20,000 trees in schools, forests and tertiary institutions in the two counties.
He added that he is also grooming the young generation in schools to be champions of environmental conservation even after they are out of school.
The Green Earth Ambassadors who are working towards greening of the environment have been visiting secondary schools to champion the establishment of green clubs in schools.
“Green clubs are setups where we get man power from students who also get inspired to take up tree planting even as they continue with their studies,” he said.
While noting that they are pushing for the establishment of the clubs in schools that do not have, he lauded the government for funding the clubs through the Foundation for Environment Education since 2003.
Kiplagat says that the youthful days of the young generation are the best to bring about change and transformation in the environment with the possibility of mitigating the effects of climate change by 2030.
He adds that just like any other initiative, running the organization has not been a smooth journey saying that they have been faced with financial challenges which has hampered their activities.
To help in raising funds for their activities, the group has a tree nursery located in Iten town with around 4,000 seedlings. He however says they face challenges during the dry season when they need to water the seedlings, saying they require a water storage tank.
Kiplagat, however, says the money they raise is not enough to fund the organization given that they have to travel to schools as they reach out to students in both secondary schools and colleges.
“Many are the times we rely on the help of friends and well-wishers to fund our activities given that we do not have a vehicle yet we travel a lot to various institutions,” he said.
He is urging the government and other non-governmental organizations to secure funding for the 200 youths to support their initiative.
The environmental champion says that the group has been partnering with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) in order to get tree seedlings and support during their tree planting activities.
He added that while some institutions have turned them down, they are happy that most of them have readily welcomed them saying they are currently working with Kipsoen Technical Training Institute where they have helped in establishing a green club.
