November 2: Plant your tree for Gaza at Uhuru Park
The “Plant a Tree Save a Life” campaign had been scheduled for Karura Forest on October 12 but was rescheduled because of unanticipated circumstances.
The tree planting event to show solidarity with the people of Gaza will be held on Sunday, November 2, at Uhuru Park.
The “Plant a Tree Save a Life” campaign had been scheduled for Karura Forest on October 12 but was rescheduled because of unanticipated circumstances.
“Join us in a tree-planting event in memory of the genocide in Palestine. Each tree is an ongoing charity and a step to keep Nairobi green,” read a communique from the Voice For Palestine (VFP), the organizers of the event.
The exercise will commence from 8 am in the morning to 11:00 am. The event will involve planting at least 10,000 trees in a programme that is also aimed at supporting the government’s environmental conservation drive of planting 15 billion trees by 2030 in a national effort to combat climate change, restore ecosystems, and increase the forest cover.
The Voice For Palestine has also entered into partnership with the county government to conserve the environment and support the preservation of Nairobi’s reputation as the Green City in the Sun.
"This is more than a tree-planting campaign. It’s a moral stand. It is a call to protect life, restore dignity, reclaim justice, and protect the environment,” said Ahmed Shariff, the VFP chairman.
The tree-planting exercise is a follow-up to the Uhuru Park event on September 21, where thousands of people gathered to express their solidarity for the people of Gaza. During the event, Muslim leaders and officials from the Civil Society participated in a symbolic tree planting programme to honour the people of Gaza.
For the November 2 event, Kenyans who bought trees for Palestine have an opportunity to individually plant their trees in honour of the people of Gaza who have gone through a brutal two-year period at the hands of the Israeli genocidal army.
Upon planting, the trees will thereafter be maintained for a given period to ensure their steady growth.
The second of November is a significant date for Palestinians as it marks the day when the Balfour Declaration was issue. This was a statement by British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour supporting the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine. The declaration marked the start of the colonial enterprise where Palestinians were forcefully displayed from their land to settle Jews mainly from Europe.
The Voice for Palestine is an advocacy group bringing together national and community organization which include Jamia Mosque Committee, National Muslim Leaders Forum (NAMLEF), Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM), Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) Masjid al Ameen, Juja Road, Parklands Mosque, Adams Mosque, Masjid Rahma Hurlingham mosque, Kenya Association of Muslim Medical Practitioners (KAMMP) among other organisations.
In the meantime, scholars have come out to urge Mombasa residents to turn up in large numbers for the coast edition of the tree-planting event for Gaza.
The event will be held at the Mama Ngina Water Front (Lighthouse) on November 8 and will be preceded by a procession from the Mombasa Tusks monument, commonly known as Mapembeni, along Moi Avenue, through the Treasury Square (Uhuru na Kazi) and onwards to the waterfront area where the tree planting exercise will be held.
“We will assemble to raise our voices and show our solidary for the people of Palestine as well as fundraise for the people of Gaza who are going through a brutal period of oppression,” said the Imam of Jamia Mosque Sheikh Jamaludin Osman, as he confirmed his presence during the event.
To support the campaign, buy a tree at a cost of Sh500 through Paybill number 150770 account, Tree4Gaza.
The Mombasa programme has been organized by Imams of various mosques and institutions in the seaside town in collaboration with the County Government under the auspices of the Voice For Palestine.
The genocidal war against Gaza has claimed more than 70,000 lives, the majority being women and children, in more than two years of Israeli relentless military assault. With over 2 million Palestinians displaced, and much of Gaza in rubble, the suffering has been compounded by a shameful silence and complicity from the global community, notably the United States and other Western powers.