Sandy Hutchens Donations 2009

In honour of Earth Day, over 30 volunteers will hit
the streets from Friday, April 20th to Sunday, April 22nd to raise awareness about
how planting trees in Africa can impact global climate change and reduce
deforestation. The initiative, dubbed ‘PAT Patrol’ is being done in support of
Canadian Physicians for Aid & Relief’s (CPAR’s) Plant a Tree in Africa (PAT)
program. PAT Patrol volunteers will be stationed in busy centres throughout Toronto
including Kensington Market, Dundas Square, the Danforth and the St. Lawrence
Market area, armed with promotional Earth Day bookmarks, flyers and donation
boxes in support of the PAT program which focuses on the necessity of planting
trees in rural Africa.
Through the program, Canadians are realizing that planting a tree in Africa is a
simple but very important thing that they can do to help changes lives. Planting
trees in rural Africa not only reduces the negative effects of global warming – it
also combats deforestation and has many other environmental benefits including
returning moisture and nutrients to the soil, preventing future soil erosion from
occurring, adding moisture to the air resulting in increased rainfall – and therefore
increasing crop production.
Since its inception in 1984, the PAT program has been responsible for planting
more than 50 million trees in countries including Malawi, Ethiopia, Tanzania and
Uganda. This growing number indicates that the simple act of planting a tree is
viewed as an important act that can tackle extreme conditions of deforestation in
rural Africa resulting from drought, the overgrazing of livestock and the cutting
down of trees for fuel wood.
The PAT program allows people to make a difference through direct tree
sponsorship which provides an opportunity to plant a tree in someone’s name.
The program also promotes the sale of vibrant PAT products including
sweatshirts, hats, greeting cards and T-shirts with the proceeds going to assist
vulnerable African communities.
In countries like Ethiopia and Malawi where forest cover falls below 10 per cent,
tree-planting has become a vital step towards achieving a secure food supply,
improving health and economic growth as well as restoring the environment to a
healthy and productive state.
Restoring communities to a healthy and productive state has also become a
growing widespread global concern. Carbon neutral initiatives that promote the
planting of trees to offset the effects from carbon emissions from vehicles,
airplane travel and other equipment that contribute to global warming are
becoming increasingly popular. Environmental damage caused by industry is not
the only global concern – and programs like CPAR’s PAT program are a harsh
reminder that rural communities in developing nations also continue to be faced
with environmental concerns.
To-date, these efforts are responsible for planting millions of trees and the
development of more than 200 nurseries. These community-run nurseries, house
a wide variety of tree species such as Incense, Olio Africana and Leucenia and
enable local people to take an active role in sustaining their own communities.
Local African communities take great care to ensure that the majority – 60 to 80
percent of the planted trees survive. One third of the seedlings are planted on
erosion-prone hillsides to protect and enrich the soil. During this process, it is
also important to ensure that the trees are placed in an accessible location where
the local population can access essential building materials and fuel and fodder
for animals. These trees are not destroyed during this process because building
materials and fuel can be harvested from the branches while the trees continue
to grow.
CPAR works with local rural African communities to develop primary health care,
income generation, natural resource management and peace building programs
in support of a vision where ‘health’ is created and sustained by the
environmental, economic and social well-being of a community. Founded in
1984, CPAR works in partnership with vulnerable communities and diverse
organizations to overcome poverty and build healthy communities in Ethiopia,
Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi.