By Rebecca Musgrave
The Austrian Times partner charity “HELFEN WIR” is appealing for support for a new agricultural project in Southern Sudan. For just five Euros you can buy a tree and help in their efforts to develop a woodland area for the charity’s farming school.
Since 1998 Viennese taxi driver Hannes Urban has been involved in charity work in some of the poorest parts of Africa. Medical and development aid charity “HELFEN WIR”, founded by Hannes himself, gives particular attention to the most vulnerable in these poverty stricken areas, working to provide them with access to nursery and primary school education and medical care.
Projects carried out by the charity have included the support of AIDs hospices and hospitals in delivering medicine, the construction of schools and hospitals and even providing medical support to the indigenous population of Mexico.
The charity is now promoting their “My tree in Jalimo” appeal. The farming school was built as a technical school for agriculture, growing of vegetables and fruits, beekeeping and forestry. In this region however forested areas are few and far between and the school has no way of giving its pupils the practical knowledge they need when it comes to forestry.
The region of Jalimo is surviving almost entirely on agriculture and cattle breeding and the charity now needs support to provide its people with resources in order to educate them. In March of this year the planting is expected to begin and hopes to have covered one hectare of the available ten by the end of the year.
In order to do this, large amounts of bush land first has to be cleared. The burning of this area must be carried out with careful forest management which is an important part of the education of the students. The demand for timber and poor management of forested areas has in the past led to a damaged eco system and poor water supply, resulting in an uncertain future for many.
Donations to the charity will now go towards the purchasing of seeds, the rearing and care of the saplings and ultimately the reforestation of the area. The individual trees can even have a placard on them indicating the donors.
For just 5 Euros you can give a tree to Jalimo.
For more information and to donate online visit: http://www.helfen-wir.org/index.php?id=3
