Celebrating and planting trees at Mjoji Primary School

In the spirit of Arbor Week, Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom volunteers joined Grade 7 learners in rolling up their sleeves and plant 20 indigenous trees at Mjoji Primary School, near Osindisweni hospital, outside Verulam. The trees, donated by Sibaya, were Grewia Occidentalis and Dovyalis Caffra, which are indigenous to KwaZulu-Natal.

Arbor Week serves to generate awareness of the devastating effects of deforestation and urbanization on the environment, with the aim to encourage South Africans to do their bit to help replenish what has been lost by planting more trees.

Arbor Day, a celebration of the beauty and importance of trees, was initiated by Mr. J Sterling Morton in Nebraska way back in 1872. South Africans adopted the concept in 1983 and it has since evolved into a month long awareness campaign that has the creation of a greener future at its core.

“It is important to educate young South Africans about the important role trees play in our environment and promote a greater understanding and deeper appreciation of trees, particularly indigenous varieties. We were delighted celebrate the glory of trees with the learners of Mjoji Primary School,” says Belinda Jelf, Marketing Manager at Sibaya.

The school’s principle, Jerry Zungu extended his heartfelt appreciation to Sibaya for donating the trees. He said that involving the learners in the planting process would encourage them to appreciate and care for nature.