Plant a Hope 8.0 – Phase 1: Thuru Kapakaru

 

Plant a Hope 8.0 – Phase 1: Thuru Kapakaru

“Nurturing two hundred small saplings into a future forest of giants”

 

Plant a Hope 8.0 concluded its tremendously successful first phase, “Thuru Kapakaru,” on January 10th at Polommaruwa Model School in Tangalla. This phase involved a large-scale tree plantation in partnership with the Hambanthota District Scout Association to plant 200 Mee trees. With a strong emphasis on sustainability, Thuru Kapakaru was not just about planting Mee trees; it was about fostering hope for a future that is greener, healthier, and thriving with ecosystems that were once lost and forgotten.

Before we delve into the details of the day’s program, let’s first explore why the Mee tree is so significant. This multipurpose tree once played a vital role in local ecosystems, attracting bats that fertilized nearby agricultural lands with their droppings. Apart from being an effective nitrogen-rich natural fertilizer, Mee trees also possess natural pest-controlling abilities. Additionally, the tree’s oil-rich seeds and edible flowers have valuable medicinal purposes. Its remarkable medicinal properties range from healing aches and strengthening nerves to aiding in the treatment of heart diseases and even inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. It's a truly multipurpose tree that is now a scarce resource in Sri Lanka.

This is where we come in. Leo Club of University of Colombo took the bold initiative to revive this lost ecosystem. Together with the Hambanthota District Scout Association, we launched a massive tree plantation program, followed by a year-long monitoring process supervised by the Hambanthota District Scout Association. Each Mee tree was assigned to a Cub Scout, who would nurture and care for it over the course of a year. Cub Scouts who meet the expected standards in nurturing and protecting their trees would be awarded the Champions for Nature badge, an internationally recognized achievement within the Better World Framework of World Scouting.

Our initiative didn’t stop at assigning the 200 trees to the Cub Scouts; we also educated them. Before handing over the trees, the Cub Scouts participated in an engaging inauguration ceremony that included informative presentations and a stage drama that captured the very essence of why initiatives like this were needed. This left the children informed and empowered. Their happy smiles and shining eyes conveyed more than what their little feedback notes wrote back. This sentiment was echoed by officials at the Hambanthota District Scout Association, as well as the college principal, teachers, and parents who praised the club’s effort to revive lost ecosystems.

 By Leo Bimandi Gunarathna