On June 26, 2025, KEPSA Foundation established an avocado orchard at St. Mary’s Girls High School in Meru County as part of the Building Learning Opportunities through Orchards for School Management (BLOOM) project, implemented through a partnership with Dow Chemical and ChildFund under the Foundation’s Kijani Initiative. Over 250 fruit trees were planted, with 200 fruit tree seedlings distributed to local youth to support broader community sustainability and the strengthening of local food systems.
In addition to the orchard, KEPSA Foundation provided the school and community youth with a variety of vegetable seeds including spinach, carrots, onions, and coriander with the goal of encouraging the development of vegetable gardens both within the school and across the community. These gardens aim to foster nutrition, promote enterprise development, and create income-generating opportunities, ultimately fostering long-term resilience and self-reliance.
In her remarks, Ms. Caroline Kawira, KEPSA Foundation’s Socio-economic and Community Outreach Manager, provided an overview of the Foundation, noting that it serves as the social arm of KEPSA through strategic partnerships with the private sector. She highlighted the Foundation’s commitment to environmental sustainability, including the establishment of orchards and tree-planting initiatives in 12 schools to date. She underscored the multifaceted benefits of these school orchards including contributions to school income, improved nutrition, and community engagement. She also acknowledged the valuable role of partners such as the Chandaria Foundation in supporting tree nursery initiatives. Furthermore, Ms. Kawira reiterated KEPSA Foundation’s commitment to exploring further scale up opportunities of the impactful programs through continued collaboration. She outlined the key criteria for selecting schools for this partnership, which includes good will of the school fraternity, availability of water, a committed champion, and a supportive community.
Dr. Jaffard Rithaa, Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Studies and Director of Chuka University Enterprise, emphasized the importance of trees and presented a compelling business case for the economic value of planting fruit trees like avocados. He commended KEPSA Foundation’s impactful initiative and advocated for expanded partnerships to reach more schools. Dr. Rithaa also applauded the youth for their engagement, encouraging them to embrace innovation and creativity in their future careers. Additionally, he urged students to pursue their academic goals with commitment and determination.
The Sub County Assistant County Commissioner, Mr. David Ngunga, emphasized the importance of tree growing, urging the school community to prioritize high survival rates of the trees planted. He highlighted their significant economic benefits and vital role in combating climate change. Mr. Ngunga encouraged the youth to see tree seedlings not merely as plants, but as symbols of a hopeful future and tools for shaping sustainable livelihoods—underscoring the long-term value of environmental stewardship and personal responsibility.
He also cautioned the youth against resorting to violence, advocating instead for peaceful and constructive methods of resolving conflicts. Mr. Ngunga stressed that individual actions create ripple effects throughout the community. He called on young people to remain hopeful, affirming that with unity, mutual support, and adherence to the right processes, they can overcome challenges and play a meaningful role in their community’s development.
The Sub County Forester, Mr. Bonifedger Muli, highlighted the contribution of the tree-planting activity toward achieving Meru County’s annual target of 370 million trees and the national goal of 15 billion trees by 2032. He reaffirmed his commitment to continuously provide seedlings to the community in support of these ambitious targets.
Mr. Boniface Gichunge, Patron of the St. Mary’s Girls High School Wildlife Club, speaking on behalf of the School Principal, Mrs. Florence Mutwiri, expressed gratitude to KEPSA Foundation for selecting their school as a beneficiary of the project. He noted that the school’s wildlife club had already set a target to plant fruit trees in 2025 as part of its environmental conservation efforts. Mr. Gichunge affirmed the school’s commitment to ensuring the success of the initiative, pledging to mobilize all necessary efforts to ensure the trees thrive for the benefit of the over 1,400 students and 140 staff members
Other guests in attendance included the area Senior Chief, Ms. Antonina Meme; Chief, Ms. Eva Nkatha; Assistant Chief, Mr. David Mutwiri; as well as teachers, students, non-teaching staff, and selected youth from the community.
