In a drive to convert its customers to electronic billing, Nashua Mobile, in September 2008, committed to donate R10 to Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA) for every customer that opted to receive electronic rather than paper bills.

Thanks to the success of this project FTFA has already been able to plant over 7,278 trees across the nation and train and pay stipends to 146 unemployed people in disadvantaged communities. With their latest cheque of R383,480, FTFA will be able to plant a further 4,262 trees across South Africa, bringing the total number of trees  planted to 11,540 trees.

Says Tim Walter, executive head of marketing at Nashua Mobile: “By converting more than 100,000 customers from paper-based to electronic billing we have already significantly reduced our carbon footprint. By donating some of the money we are saving in our shift from paper billing to FTFA, we hope to help make South Africa a much greener country.”

Jeunesse Park, Founder of FTFA, says that the funds raised through this Nashua Mobile campaign are planting much-needed trees in degraded settlements for poor communities, helping to improve quality of landscape and life. The social, health and environmental benefits of greening are manifold.

“Trees supply oxygen, water vapour, food, shelter and fuel, and are an efficient at sequestering carbon dioxide, a gas that contributes to global warming. Their presence in the community is essential to human health and happiness,” Park adds.

On 18 and 19 July, 1,000 trees were successfully planted in Tembisa in celebration of Mandela Day.

1,000 fruit trees were distributed to the fortunate residents of Botshabelo on 15 and 16 August  from the Botshabelo Stadium within the Mangaung Municipality. Botshabelo, meaning "a place of refuge", is a large settlement situated 45km east of Bloemfontein in the Free State. It was set up by the apartheid government as part of the Bophuthatswana homeland. It is the second largest township in South Africa; second only to Soweto and was established in 1979 as an informal settlement for non-tswana speaking people.

Another 772 trees were planted in Tokologo, a settlement of low-cost houses developed in 2004 within the Middelburg area in Mpumalanga, on 17 August. The distribution started at 10am at the Moetanalo Secondary School, 88765 Makatane Extension, Mlhuzi, Middelburg.

In celebration of Arbor Month 490 trees will be planted in Molote, Magaliesburg and on 24 September, FTFA and Nashua Mobile plan to plant a further 1,000 trees in celebration of Heritage Day and Moving Planet, bringing the total number of trees planted by Nashua Mobile to 11,540.





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