Planting Trees in Drought Fields: A Story of Tree Planting With Children in an Elementary School in Pakistan

by Nadia Anjum

This article describes my experiences getting children involved in tree-planting activities in a school setting. The tree planting was carried out in a public girls’ elementary school situated in the village of Mohra Mari, Tehsil Gujar Khan, District Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The school is a part of the Union Council Kauntrilla in Punjab Province. The school’s tree-planting activities were organized by school staff and by students, along with their parents, who also participated in the campaign. Considering the important role that trees can play in protecting societies and local communities, tree-planting activities are a useful curriculum resource for young children, providing them with hands-on learning experiences.

Pakistan as a Landscape

Trees are crucial for people and for communities in Pakistan. My country is among the top 10 countries in the world to be affected by global warming. According to the Global Climate Risk Index published by Germanwatch, Pakistan ranked eighth of the 10 countries most affected by climate change from 2000 to 2019 (Germanwatch, 2021). The melting of glaciers and the eruption of glacial lakes pose a great risk of flooding. Yet, on the other hand, Pakistan also faces acute deforestation caused by drought. The major cities of Pakistan, including Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad, are experiencing severe heat waves and excessive levels of pollutants. To tackle this, the government of Pakistan has introduced the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami, also called Plant for Pakistan, a five-year (2018-2023) tree-planting plan (Shah, 2018). Part of the National Forest Policy, it supports forestry and afforestation (i.e., planting trees where there were none before) throughout the country. Punjab as a province has developed its own policy, the Punjab Forest Policy (2019), to implement the national planting program. This policy aims to maintain, expand, and maximize forest sources in a systematic, environmentally sustainable, ecologically solid, economically feasible, and socially equitable way.

All departments working within the Government of Pakistan’s educational authority have implemented tree-planting programs in schools. Public and private schools working under the jurisdiction of the Punjab School Education Department have also implemented the tree-planting drive.

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