Children from homes join in Rotary Club’s tree-planting activity   |18 January 2024

The Rotary Club of Victoria held its annual tree-planting activity yesterday at the National Biodiversity Centre in Barbarons, with the help of 18 children from homes.

Clad in raincoats and branding umbrellas, the team braced the unfavourable weather to take part in the activity.

Marie-Pierre Lloyd, President of the Rotary Club of Victoria, said it was a good way for the children to learn about Seychelles’ endemic trees.

Mrs Lloyd added it was also a good way to enhance their knowledge of conservation and preservation of endemic species.

“In these activities, the kids get to have a day out but also get to understand and learn about what they are doing,” said Mrs Lloyd.

As for the partnership with the National Biodiversity Centre, Mrs Lloyd described it as beneficial. “By partnering with the Biodiversity Centre they are the ones providing the trees instead.”

The senior horticulturist at the Biodiversity Centre, Damien Doudee, made it easier for the children by demonstrating how to properly go about planting trees.  From there, the kids with their own gloves and shovels went about their work, assisted by staff of the centre.

The kids also labelled the trees that they had personally planted. “The labels make it easier for when the children come back to check on the trees’ progress. They are able to see their names and name of the trees on the tags,” said Mr Doudee.

At the end of the activity, they are also presented with a certificate for their hard work, said Mrs Lloyd.

Kassey Govinden

Photos by Kurtrine Albert