Ndau Festival Sets Foot On Climate Mitigation

Manicaland Correspondent

Chipinge based Ndau Festival of the Arts (NDAFA) is set to mitigate climate change through a reforestation programme dubbed Green Charity on May 8, 2021.

The donation of trees is expected to take place at Chisavanye community in Musikavanhu.

The program aims at re-greening of Chipinge areas where forests have been seriously damaged.

Speaking to Post On Sunday today, the Founder and Director of Ndau Festival of  Arts, Phillip Kusasa indicated that their gesture is to curb climate change.

“Climate change is real in the world and Chipinge hasn’t spared. As an arts and culture organisation, we took it as a challenge that traditionally, we had conservation methods monitored by our traditional leaders and we want to bring people back to basics.

“NDAFA established a tree nursery comprising of indigenous trees which are accustomed with our culture. We are saying let’s plant trees and establish woodlots and orchards, in the process wil be mitigating climate change.

“We are going to donate our trees to needy areas starting with Chisavanye community in Musikavanhu. Apart from being in the Lowveld which is drought prone, Chisavanye lost infrastructure and vegetation during some floods which took place early this year,” said Kusasa.

Asked the sustainability of their program, the NDAFA director indicated that their gesture is self motivated and isn’t profit making and those two factors are ideal for sustainable development.

“Driven not by money, It’s voluntary, community helping another community in need. Many programs disappear when the motivational factor, which is usually money, is not available.

As an organisation, we are unable to donate money to communities but we can give trees as charity. We hope that with time, our program shall be one of the most important gestures in mitigating climate change in Chipinge,” added Kusasa.