Better Environment Project
Better Environment project in the community of El Tular - Update December 2021
The St Thomas’ Church, Delph, Eco Project is a separately-funded project set up as part of St Thomas’ ‘Eco-Church’ initiative. Payments are made to Balsamo via Wellsprings UK towards specific environmental projects that they implement with the community. The initiative started in May 2021.
Project update
The first phase has involved collecting seeds and planting fruit trees as well as teaching the young people about care for the environment. The young people established and nurtured a nursery with 255 plants of the Cashew, Sapote and Creole Mango varieties. To diversify the plant species, 110 grafted trees such as Avocado, Medlar, Mango, Persian Lemon and Japanese Cashew were purchased. A total of 290 plants (180 that were produced in the nursery and 110 that were purchased with Eco project fund) were shared for sowing in the domestic lands of 26 families. This activity has been accompanied by 3 environmental training days and a tour and analysis of the pollution situation in the river and the community and its possible solutions.
Allan from Bálsamo is leading the project. An agronomist was involved to provide technical assistance and with a group of young people working on the project, co-ordinated by Gamaliel.
The proposed project for 2022 is to work on the construction of a grey water filter, which reduces the discharge of polluting water in the rivers and in the subsoil near the courses of the rivers in the community. This project will benefit one or two families and will serve as a model for a larger project that Balsamo will manage with national or international cooperation.