The Centre for Character and Leadership together with the East African Cables and Kenya Education Management Institute has spearheaded tree growing initiative in over 27 Comprehensive and Senior Schools situated in Machakos, Kajiado and Baringo Counties. This collaborative effort has led to the donation and planting of over 8000 indigenous and fruit trees seedlings as part adopt a tree and tag a virtue initiative during this year.

The ‘Adopt a tree and tag a virtue initiative’ is a service-learning best practice which is implemented by involving learners to plant, adopt and tag the trees with positive virtues which they aim to nurture in their life as the tree grows. The learners take on the responsibility of caring for their tree and the development of their chosen virtue as a “personal project’ under
the guidance of a teacher or staff mentor. 

Through this initiative, learners are engaged in experiential learning activities that fosters development of good character. For instance, learners are encouraged to adopt, tag, nurture and model values such as responsibility, love, social justice, unity and peace as they are being
taught in school through Values-based Education (VbE). The VbE entails  nurturing “values through Whole School Approach in the formal, non-formal and informal learning dimensions.”

The adopt a tree and tag a virtue initiative not only helps in enhancing students character growth and well-being but it’s becoming a great education innovation towards promoting sustainable development goals such as food security and climate action. Additionally, tree growing in learning institutions is part of “mitigation measure that will see the country grow 15 billion trees consequently increasing the tree cover from the current 12 per cent to 30 percent by the year 2030.”

In Kajiado County, the tree growing event was graced by nominated Member of the County Assembly (MCA), Hon. Joyce Sunte. She emphasized the need of nurturing virtues through sports such as respect, fairness, and integrity as she donated soccer jerseys at Naserian Comprehensive School.
The act of engaging learners to plant and take care of the trees has made a positive effect on their personal lives as well as on the wider school culture and climate. These concerted and coordinated efforts in planting and growing trees goes a long way towards building students’ character and inculcating the National tree planting culture across the country.