Green Clubs in Schools: Re-greening Schoolyards Through Student Actions

In the village of Ouinhi, many children are growing up without a simple experience that previous generations once took for granted: “the joy of running under trees, playing in the shade, and resting beneath a cool schoolyard canopy”.

Violent windstorms that struck the region in 2024 uprooted and destroyed many trees. Schoolyards have become bare, exposed grounds where children play under intense heat, with little protection from the sun.  

This project seeks to change that.

Led by Fair World, a recognized leader in Benin in the creation and support of Green Clubs in School, this initiative will bring environmental education directly into schools, combining learning with action through a community-led school greening campaign. Rather than simply replacing what was lost, our approach is to empower students to become part of the solution: by training them in seedling production, nursery management, and tree planting, they will learn how to restore their own school environments and surrounding communities with their own hands.

The project aims to transform schoolyards into living laboratories of sustainability through a campaign of tree production and planting.

Students will be trained to raise and plant 20.000 climate-resilient and locally valuable species, including:

• Parkia biglobosa (Néré), an indigenous and threatened species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, vital for biodiversity and local livelihoods;
• Fruit trees, which improve nutrition and create future economic opportunities;
• Shade trees, which will restore cooler, healthier school environments where children can once again learn, play, and dream under the protection of trees.

Each dollar receive from Ma earth will serve to plant 2 trees.

Beyond planting trees, this project is about restoring something deeper: children’s connection to nature, their sense of belonging, and their hope for a greener future.