Greening our schools, growing a sustainable future

In May 2025, SACEP Kenya, in partnership with GGI and DTB Bank, implemented the Greening Schools Programme in Tharaka Nithi County — reaching 15 schools with a tree-planting initiative designed to do more than put trees in the ground.

Each participating school received 800 seedlings, a carefully chosen mix: indigenous and other suitable woodlot species for timber, soil protection and biodiversity; fruit tree seedlings to promote nutrition and future income opportunities; and creeper fruit species to encourage diversified food production and productive use of school spaces.

Across the 15 schools, that adds up to 12,000 seedlings — every one of them a long-term investment in greener, healthier and more resilient school communities.

Schools were chosen deliberately. A school compound is where the next generation spends its days — a tree planted there is seen, watered and protected every single day, by the very people who will inherit it.

This initiative goes beyond planting trees. It is about nurturing a generation that values environmental conservation, restoring our ecosystems, promoting food security and building climate-resilient communities.

Through school-based greening, learners are becoming environmental custodians — measuring, watering and watching their trees grow while learning first-hand how healthy ecosystems support healthy communities.

The fruit and creeper species planted are chosen with purpose: they will one day provide shade, nutrition and — where schools choose to develop them — small enterprises that link the school garden to local markets.

For teachers and communities, the programme also strengthens practical learning. A school garden becomes a living classroom for agriculture, nutrition, water conservation and climate action.

The partnership made it possible. GGI and DTB Bank joined SACEP Kenya in funding and delivering the seedlings and planting support — an example of how corporate and community partnerships can turn shared goals into visible change.

Tree-planting days were community events: learners, teachers, parents and local leaders came together to plant, mulch and mark out each seedling's space — the kind of collective action that makes a school greening last.

The work does not end at planting. Seedlings need water, weeding and protection from animals — and the schools and communities that received them are supported to care for the trees through their first critical seasons.

At SACEP Kenya, we believe that every seedling planted today is an investment in a greener, healthier and more resilient tomorrow. We invite more schools, partners and supporters to join the Greening Schools movement and help it grow across our working counties.