Location: Pemba, Zanzibar
Climate change threatens every aspect of human life and nature.
High temperatures, persistent droughts, and rise of water levels are among the many challenges that the world is facing.
However, there are potential solutions in some of these aspects.
The Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) is a European Union flagship initiative which is helping the world's most vulnerable countries to address climate change. Tulianza Mapema group, located in Tumbe village in western province of Pemba island, is among several groups that the EU is working with in addressing the elephant in the room—climate change.
In 2012, Hamad Maulid started this group by mobilising people to volunteer to plant trees to save the next generation.
They started a slogan in Tanzania, “cut one tree and plant five trees," and that is what this group was
doing for the love of nature.
In 2019, Tulianza Mapema group were lucky to receive training on environment and planting trees from the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus Initiative (GCCA+) with funding from the European Union (EU) through Community Forest Pemba (CFP), a local organization in Pemba and Canadian Fund.
The project evolved from planting trees to focusing on the planting of Mangroves; a project aimed at
protecting the ocean. For decades, mangroves have been known to be natural-grown and not the work of human beings. Maulid says its not easy to convince the locals to start planting Mangroves, however much the plants were disappearing because of climate change.
So far Tulianza Mapema Group has succeeded in planting more than one million Mangrove trees in 50 hectares in Tumbe village. This whole area had already experienced effects of climate change, with ocean waters invading the villages. But now the script is different, thanks to these heroes who intervened and rescued the community from the desperate state of their land. The group acknowledges the support of GCCA+ funds from E.U in implementing the project.
To the group of young men and women in Tumbe village, adapting to climate change is the only way to secure their future. Tulianza Mapema is helping the community to adapt to challenges presented by the changing climatic patterns. Even though the GCCA+ project of E.U fund is over, the dream of these pioneers is not anywhere near the touchline. Hamad, who is the leader of this group, says they want to extend their efforts to neighbouring villages and cooperate on mangrove protection. This includes getting a patrol boat that can be used for surveillance on Mangroves protection. In the meantime, the group continues with its environmental activities, including planting more mangroves.