{"id":4456,"date":"2019-08-08T10:50:47","date_gmt":"2019-08-08T07:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africasustainabilitymatters.com\/?p=4456"},"modified":"2026-01-11T05:30:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T05:30:27","slug":"one-migrant-one-tree-over-100-migrants-plant-trees-on-nigers-independence-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/2019\/08\/08\/one-migrant-one-tree-over-100-migrants-plant-trees-on-nigers-independence-day\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018One Migrant \u2013 One Tree\u2019: Over 100 Migrants Plant Trees On Niger\u2019s Independence Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By UN Migration<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Niger\u2019s economy is largely dependent on subsistence agriculture,\nmaking it vulnerable to adverse climatic conditions. It is estimated that more\nthan 100,000 hectares of arable land are lost each year in Niger due to\ndesertification. Periodic droughts and floods \u2013 as well as land degradation caused\nby overgrazing \u2013 aggravate existing vulnerabilities and put Niger\u2019s population\nat risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 1975, Niger has celebrated National Arbor Day on 3 August \u2013\nwhich also is the country\u2019s Independence Day \u2013 by encouraging citizens to plant\ntrees and organize environmental events. Both are essential to combating\ndesertification across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To mark the day, the International Organization for Migration\n(IOM) supported the initiative \u201cOne Migrant \u2013 One Tree\u201d which saw more than 100\nmigrants from IOM\u2019s transit centres in Niamey, as well as members of\ndisadvantaged neighbourhoods, plant trees this past Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOften people look at us as being a nuisance or a burden,\u201d says\nOusmane, 19, a migrant from the Central African Republic, who is staying at\nIOM\u2019s transit centre in Niamey. \u201cIt\u2019s good that we have the opportunity today\nto show that we can also help, that we can make a difference. These trees are\nproof; they will be the legacy we leave behind in Niger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative \u201cOne Migrant \u2013 One Tree\u201d supported by\nthe European Union, within the framework of the Migrant Resource and Response\nMechanism<\/em><\/a>, is part of Project\nAll Migrants<\/em>, managed by JEMED, Jeunesse en Mission Entraide et D\u00e9veloppement<\/em> (Youth\nin Mission for Mutual Aid and Development) since 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEMED is a Christian non-governmental organization that supports\nthe Niger government’s efforts in its fight against food insecurity and\nenvironmental degradation due to climate change. As part of the organization\u2019s\nactivities, JEMED assists migrants in transit who reside in poor neighbourhoods\nin Niamey. The organization provides food, non-food items and medical assistance\nwhen needed, but also organizes outreach activities and, upon request, refers\nmigrants to relevant organizations or one of IOM\u2019s transit centres in Niamey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To mark the 44th anniversary of National Arbor Day in Niger, 70\nmigrants staying in disadvantaged neighbourhoods were mobilized, along with 30\nmigrants from IOM\u2019s transit centres in Niamey. As recommended by the\nauthorities, the species chosen were mango trees or other species which provide\nshade. They were planted in the courtyard of school No. 5 in Niamey\u2019s Koubia\nneighbourhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to include migrants in such initiatives and make\nthem feel valued in their host communities,\u201d said minister Paul Abdoulaye\nZagre, founder of Project All Migrants. \u201cOn one hand, we are working towards\nsaving the environment; on the other, we are creating a fraternal bond between\nmigrants and community members.  At the end of the day, we are more\nsimilar than we care to admit.\u201d
\nThis newly created green space will provide a better living environment for the\nschool\u2019s students, while also enabling them to grow an eco-conscious mentality.\nThe students, along with the teachers, were sensitized during the day on\nenvironmental issues and climate change, but also on how to take care of the\nnewly planted trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a great opportunity for migrants and community members to\ncome together and work towards the same goal,\u201d said Barbara Rijks, IOM\u2019s Chief\nof Mission in Niger. \u201cWe are happy to work with JEMED on this day of learning\nand awareness-raising about important issues such as the environment, while we\ncreate strong bonds between different members of the community.\u201d
\nDuring the one-day activity, the migrants had the chance to discuss their\nmigration journeys and hopes for the future. \u201cThis is a wonderful initiative.\nNot only will the planting of these trees make a big difference for children\ngoing to our school, it is also an opportunity for us to meet people from all\nover the continent,\u201d added Adamou, 36, who lives in the neighbourhood. \u201cThis is\na good reminder that in the end, we are all brothers.\u201d
\nTo address the economic issues related to land degradation, IOM also implements\na community stabilization project in Agadez, funded by the United Nations\nConvention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which aims to integrate migrants\nin host communities and facilitate the restoration of degraded lands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the same project and with support from UK\u2019s Department of\nInternational Development (DFID), IOM also provides one-week training sessions\nin agricultural techniques for migrants staying at IOM\u2019s transit centre in\nAgadez, as they wait for their departure through the Assisted Voluntary Return\nand Reintegration (AVRR) programme, under the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration<\/em><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read original\narticle<\/a> on International Organization For\nMigration<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By UN Migration Niger\u2019s economy is largely dependent on subsistence agriculture, making it vulnerable to adverse climatic conditions. It is estimated that more than 100,000 hectares of arable land are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4456"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4456\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}