The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF)is supporting 45 000 Trees for Homes for 45 000 residents of low cost settlements across South Africa in 2011, The International Year of Forests. This contribution to Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA)has also given 900 residents of the beneficiary communities an opportunity to receive training and some payment as community educators who are becoming climate change and greening leaders.

FTFA’s Trees for Homes programme, which has planted over 800 000 fruit and indigenous trees and trained  over 7 500 community educators already, has been recognised by the United Nations through various awards, and through the Billion Tree Campaign. It spreads awareness of the need to conserve, plant and maintain trees, upholding the United Nations’ aim for this International Year of Forests, which is to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. The NLDTF initiative will result in an estimated 1 125 hectares of urban forest planted.

“We have waited long for trees to come to our area. Now the time is here and I look forward to making a successful green change in my community,” said Mapula Maboka, who was trained as a Community Educator in Polokwane in February 2011.

The first NLDTF distributions of 2500 trees took place in Polokwane and were very well received by the recipient communities. “These events were well attended with many people asking for more trees. This project will change the way this community views its environment,” said Emmanuel Sinthumule, FTFA Community Forester.

The remaining 2500 trees were allocated to Polokwane, and distributed in mid May.

“We want to see this area become green in a few years. We will come back again to see the progress of this project,” said executive mayor councillor Freddy Greaver.