Environmental research

Most of the schools in the suburbs of Oluyole local government are built on large open fields and have been hit by wind storms with some of their roofs removed. Some of the school environments have been eroded by the rains with erosion eating deep into the land. Most of the schools do not have halls; hence assemblies are conducted outside the classrooms further exposing them to the elements. Due to lack of trees in the environment, the classrooms are usually very hot with no fans leading to very difficult environment for learning. Connecting Hearts Initiative has planted a few trees in about 40 schools. This is has however solved only a minute fraction of the problem. A lot of schools still need more trees to fill up their environment and are eager to raise more trees to sell to their neighboring communities who also suffered great damage from erosion. A lack of a reliable source of water and technical knowhow on how to raise tree crops posed a great challenge to most of the schools. The goal of the project is to promote planting of economic trees to address these environmental problems in 20 secondary schools, with an average of 200 pupils per school in Oluyole local government; build capacity to raise and plant 100 each of Dogonyaro, almond (fruit), orange, grape and Gmelina trees and to expand irrigation facilities to support tree nurseries in the schools. These trees will slow down erosion, act as windbreaks, reduce concentration of carbon dioxide in the air; enhance aesthetic and create a source of income to address other needs of the schools. There will also be awareness creation on climate change in the 10 secondary schools, the effect it has on the environment and how they can help to preserve the environment. 100 trees would be planted in each school. A nursery for trees would be established in each school. Each school will be provided with one deep well totaling 20, with water pumps sited near the nursery

Nigeria