Tree planting in Kenya has for years been a rite of passage to adulthood for boys or a way to pass time for some as they wait to land their ideal job.
But for Marion Otema, a student at Strathmore University, Josephine Wughanga, an agro-forestry graduate, and Collins Towet it is their way of making a living.
They are among the 2,700 "conservation army" of youth across Africa who through financial and training aid from the State and non-state actors have been planting trees in the continent.
Through Panda Miti Initiative, they planted about a million trees in schools, public lands, and private firms.
"Kenyans need training on which trees are suitable where. We had to uproot so many trees we had planted at Mau Forest because they couldn't survive. We didn't know that," said Otema.
Otema and her team have come up with creative ways to train locals on the importance of planting trees. They use art and craft, storytelling, and mentorships programmes.
Africa Forest Forum (AFF) held a training in Voi, Taita Taveta County for the youth on tree planting and said Kenya and other African countries had a "conservation army' of youth keen to combat the effects of climate change.
Otema, Towet, and Wughanga are among the approximately 420 million youths in Africa who have benefited from the AFF programme in promoting conservation.
"We are training these youths on matters of natural resources so that they can take up the mantle from us when we retire," said Dr Doris Muta, a senior program officer at AFF.
She added: "We're empowering the youths to start seeing the benefit of natural resources that will create job opportunities for the African youths."
African Forest Forum has around 2,700 members around the world, with the majority of them from Africa.
Towet, an eco-activist of the Havoc Organisation, said they engage in conservation through collaborating with other institutions like schools, communities, and universities in research.
"We research some of the problems facing various organisations or institutions where after carrying out the research, we offer solutions," said Collins.
He said currently, they are running several programs within the community which advocate for good policy-making toward promoting the environment.
"We have projects like 'Saving a planet', where the public is encouraged to keep the environment clean by dumping plastic bottles in dustbins, after which they earn some points. Another project is 'Green carpet' which we conduct every year mainly targeting professionals, leaders, and corporates to discuss matters of climate action," said Towet.
On her part, Wughanga, an Agro-forestry and Rural Development graduate, said her love for trees at a young age inspired her to select the course.
Kenya Forest Research Institute said it had been tasked to produce tree seeds for commercial and conservation purposes, and it will team up with the youths to plant the trees.
Before the workshop, the youth toured Taita forests like Ngangao, a rain forest managed by Dawida Biodiversity CBO to learn how to turn conservation to a money-making venture.
Amos Mwamburi, a butterfly farmer within Ngangao Forest, earns his upkeep from the sale of pupa to Kipepe farm based in Malindi.
