Diary

Translated from a German press article:
• A successful mission

  Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of Namibia in the southwest of Africa, visited recently Germany for the first time to represent Namibia as an economical location. At the "Namibia Economic Forum" in Stuttgart, Gottfried Brenner from Weilheim, founder of the environmental protection organization "Trees for the World" took part, too.

  The dedicated ecologist used this event to ask the influential personalities of politics and economy for support of his afforestation project in Namibia. After his return to Weilheim, Gottfried Brenner reported that the Namibian president extolled his engagement of "Trees for the World" and also praised the hard work and diligence of the working people at the nursery in the home country.

  Jürgen Schrempp, chairman of Daimler Chrysler, was very impressed and promised to visit the project in Ondangwa. Also, Erwin Pfister expected to support the project with a donation of the federal state of Baden Wurttemberg.

  Further translations of press articles can be found here.

• Important announcement

  Dear visitor, please be aware that we have currently no means to translate all news and events described in our German Homepage and add them in this English section. For reading all about the developpments of Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the World ^®, please consult our German Homepage. New fotos are also frequently published there.

  In case you would know anybody who could help us in translating the German entries and publish them in English, please contact our Webmaster, who works as an unsalaried volunteer and would therefore be very grateful for any help!

• Extracts of a report of the manager about the activities of the last three months

  [...]I had a meeting with Chris Shikaputo, the manager of the Ombugha tree planting projects, who will support us in the replanting of Ontananga (kings graves plot). The reafforestation was supported by Prima Klima in the year 2003. We discussed who will bear the costs.

  At one weekend I've been there to measure the dimensions of the plot. At the next meeting, John and Chris explained to me how I had to proceed and that it is urgent to begin, as the temperatures are increasing and the soil is getting harder. Furthermore, we agreed to start with the preparations for half of the plot, which means about 1000 trees. On 23rd of september, we will investigate where the main water pipes will have to be installed. next week there is a further meeting with the community in Ontananga. There, it will be decided who will dig the ditch and when.

  I visited Eenyuko several times with Abraham. Two times, the water conduits had leaks. I gave the Memes (these 12 women work the surface, comment of the editor) my mobile number so that they can call if they need us in the future.
  

  Women of the Eenyuko project

  Within the next two weeks I will go there again for reducing some of the Leucaenas in the vegetable garden, they just steel too much light. We will sell their wood, so the Memes will get some cash. We also helped them to prepare a little speech. They rewarded me with a rooster. I also got a hen from Loise's father. So now we can start a production of eggs and chicken!

  Our co-worker Abraham is greatly improving. He shows a lot of commitment and interest. [...]

• February - June 2004

  Report of the Eenyuko project

  The Eenyuko reafforestation project is a branch nursery situated 25 km in the west of Oshakati. It's an area of 5 ha surrounded by fences containing a little garnden, a stockroom and a shadow net. The local project is supervised by 11 ovambo women from the surrounding homesteads.

  Here you can find a report in German about the progress of the project during February and June 2004

  Extracts of the weekly reports of the manager

  "Paulus managed to obtain his learners licence. That means that he may be driving when I'm with him. Friday morning he went to fetch Manure himself.
  The rest of the week I've been seeding grass and cutting the beds of the nursery. It's now looking very nice here."

  "Monday I visited Ethikolo school with Selma and Paulus. We brought some trees and showed the pupils and the teachers how to plant them. The have already been assiduously digging holes, but unfortunately, they were to small, so that we couldn't use them."
  

  Children watering plants  

• November 2003 - January 2004

  School activities:

  
  In the course of the year 2003 it was carried out a balance of the different school projects (environmental education, plantation on the schoolyards). The general frameworks and the interest of the teaching staff are very different. It turned out, that it needs a lot of personell and temporal engagement to look after the schools to get a sustaining and intensive progress. Therefore in the meanwhile the projects are reduced to four. The projects were carried out by the nursery staff. themselves.
  In three schools in 16 classes there are weekly lessons in environmental education, together with sowing actions under special shade-nets on the schoolyards. At last the children are allowed to take their little mango tree home.
  Furthermore the schoolyards are planted with trees too.
    Pupil with "his" plant

  One of the schools is in a further stage of development. Here only some advice is necessary Sometimes the pupils come to the nursery in Ondangwa to learn about watering and granting. The children are very proud of there own planted trees, which will bear fruit in a few years. We hope that the trees planted in the pupils homesteads are tended carefully.

  Advertisement:

  The selling of the trees on the nursery has been going on very well during the last months. It has boosted by different leaflet campaigns and advertising spots at radio Oshiwambo, which were prepared in the native language by the nursery staff.

  Preparing of the planting actions

  During the last months the reafforestation in Eenyuko and within the Ombugha Grassland state project has been prepared. For this reason several thousand plants have grown. The planting of the trees will start during the next weeks, depending on the start of the raining period.

  Facilities of the nursery:

  The cisterne was finished under sudorific conditions. The entrance to the nursery was equiped with a cattle bar, so that it can stay open for the customers during the opening hours, without the risk of damaging by cattle and other animals.

• August - Oktober 2003

  In the meanwhile a new shad-net was built, which has a size of 400m². Now it is possible to grow more than 10.000 plants.
  To built a cistern was a very sudorific work as well, because it was digged in the hard loamy soil at temperatures of 40 °C. But now the watering of the seedlings and young plants is guaranteed. This was hard work for the employes in Namibia. Both projects were done on the own authority of the namibian stuff.

  Selling of young trees on the nursery is going on excellent. Increasing incomes motivates the employes and promote the financial independence of the project.

  The contact with Eenyuko was intensived during the last weeks. We think highly of the women working active in the horticulture. Our employes are always welcomed with joyful singing and yodel and get worthfully experience and will influence the communal garden project which is in preparation.

  Meanwhile there is a cooperation with several schools and kindergartens. At five selected schools we have very intensive contact at least once a week. It turned out that the visits ensure a long term enthusiasm and good care for the planted trees for the teaching staff as well as for the pupils. There were built shade-nets. Papayas, guaves and other plants are growing under the nets. The foundation of an environmental club at one school shows, the mind-expanding of the young generation.

• April 2003

  Since beginning of april Ferhat Yunus Topraklar works as part of his community service of the campaign "other services in foreign countries" in the main tree nursery in Ondangwa/Namibia. Together with his colleague Felix Beuteführ he will help to erect the new tree nursery on the grounds of Trees for the World - Bäume für Menschen, he will help to give environmental training in schools in and around Ondangwa and he will look after the network of tree nurseries, helping to finish a lot of organisation work during the following 15 months.

  His three predecessors learnt already that such kind of community service does not only mean hard work but they have also gained a lot of experience and independance from it. Each of them has done a great job, shown a lot of commitment and learnt to hold on during hard times as Johannes Hachmann's report shows us:

  
  "... Heores Primary school, 20.03.03, planting campaign with children Today we went to school where we got a whole bunch of children to support us. Two children got always one tree which they were supposed to plant together. At the beginning it worked out quite well and the motivated children were digging their holes. Unfortunately we hit a very hard layer of loam which they could not break through. So most of the children did loose their interest in digging, went away or took a seat in the shade. That means we could not finish the planting and had to return one more time... ."
  Johannes Hachmann who finished his community service shortly did decide voluntary to prolong his stay and to train his successor thoroughly before we will fly back to Germany.

  So far our experiences has shown that the young man chosen under hundreds of applicants will show full engagement and that they are capable to solve difficult tasks. Gottfried Brenner, founder and chairman of the project is proud that his ZIVIS are so successful and he hopes together with the rest of his staff that their commitment for nature and trees will bring them a lasting profit for their further lives.

  New sun-shade for the selling of plants to local people erected

  Extract of weekly reports:

  "... sun-shade: Yes, finally it is ready and I can say, it looks rather good. I say such things rather seldom but I find it almost perfect. Beside every specie we put a small wooden stake into the ground so that it is 20cm high. The plan is to print small laminated labels, to nail them to each stake so that everything is indicated on it: Name in English, botanic name, if existing Oshivambo name, a few information about the tree and naturally the price... .

  ... then Paulus and me transplanted the Melia azedarach on Tuesday. The required hole was dug a week before, rather big! Then - before we started the transplanting - I made the hole really wet, so that the soil was not too dry for the roots. The tree although cultivated in a Poly bag did not grow spiral roots and they seemed very healthy. It was very heavy and tiring work because the roots very already quite deep. We took the tree out of the hole (besides a small tree can also be quite heavy), we watered the roots, carried it as fast as possible to the other hole about a distance of 120m together with 2 other man, watered it, put soil on the roots and the tree was transplanted. Finally we secured it with a stake against the wind..."

• March 2003

  Construction of new nursery started

  A new tree nursery for 60.000 further plants is under construction on the site of Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the Worldıs main nursery in Ondangwa/Namibia.

  Planting capacities have been running out in the main nursery which has been operating successfully for almost four years. To be able to increase the production of trees the organisationıs employees together witha number of local workers have started building a watering system and preparing the grounds for the construction of the huge shade nets.

  Most of the trees which will be grown in the new nursery will be used for the Ombugha-Grassland-Project, a big-scale afforestation project initiated by the Namibian President Sam Nujoma and promoted by the government of Namibia.
  Within the next few years an area of 60.000 hectares is planned to be afforested with indigenous trees.

  For a feasibility-study 100.000 young trees will be needed in the near future to be planted in three long lines running though the afforestation area.

  Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the World has been able to achieve the participation in this important project though the good personal contacts to President Sam Nujoma. The President had visited the main nursery in Ondangwa in May 2002.

  The Ombugha Grassland-Project will generate work for local workers and will further enhance the successful operation of the Ondangwa nursery.

• February 2003

School children compete in tree planting

Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the World supports NNFC Forestry Competition 2003

Who has learned the most about trees? Who will get the price for the most successful junior forester?

During the annual competition selected groups of school children plant trees sponsored by environmental organizations in their schoolyards. Their task is to care for their "baby trees&uot; and learn about their names and special needs until the end of the competition on "Arbor Day" in October.

Employees from Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the Worldıs nursery in Ondangwa visited eleven schools in and around the town. The organization delivers the necessary seedlings (100 per school) free of charge. Together with the children aged 7 - 14, the workers planted a "sample tree" and provided information about the watering procedure, the protection of the plants from grazing animals.

In the end the best junior foresters will be honored, but there is one profit gained by each one of the participants: the new knowledge about the value and use of trees and about their handling.