INCULCATE THE HABIT OF PURCHASING TREES IS THE

BEST WAY TO CREATE YOUR TRUE FRIEND

By Naushad Kazi
(THE STORY BELONG TO DADU, A BACKWARD AND OLDEST DISTRICT OF SINDH,
PAKISTAN)
A true friend is one who stands by us during good times as well as bad times. Based on
this criterion, we may regard trees as our best friends, because they have stood by us for
centuries. They keep our environment clean and fresh; give us shade throughout the year,
and attract rain clouds.
Dadu is the one of the oldest districts of Sindh, Pakistan; the climate of the district is
intensively hot in summer and cold enough in winter. It is situated in arid and semi-arid
zone of Pakistan, and hence prone to drought. Today exploration of oil and gas in the
mountains of the district Dadu became the main reason of environmental problems; so
significance is required to give to establish green belt. Even birds and animals had stopped
coming to the Khirthar range from other parts of the world due to deterioration of
environment.
This is a story about Kaacho, a remote area where people have been facing several
problems due to drought and hot weather since beginning. Normally in summer session
temperature would remain to rise up to 52 centigrade in the area. Due to such level of
temperature, people were compelled to think about to take preventive measures to
reduce the temperature.
The Civil Society Support Programme (CSSP) is a non-profit civil society organization
emerged as a response to the challenges facing by civil society of Pakistan with regards to
the fight against poverty, social injustice, and governance issues in Pakistan. Through the
support and funding by OXFAM GB, CSSP formed Effective Citizenship Groups (ECG) and
strengthened them through different trainings and multi stakeholder meeting in such
vicinity. Mr. Muhammad Ali Solangi who is one of the most active ECG members there; by

profession he is a Primary School teacher and also engaged to run his confectionary shop.
Although he remains very busy to increase his livelihood from the both occupations. But,
for his inner satisfaction, he is doing social work to change the lives of people in his
vicinity.
Keeping in view the above challenging situation of environment and the objective of
enhancing greenery, the person started a tree plantation campaign by planting a sapling
at his residence. Further the main theme of the campaign was to encourage people to
plant at least one tree in their surrounding where they live and not only plant the sapling /
tree but also take care and nurture it till it becomes a fully grown tree.
The second step of his campaign was to inculcate the habit of purchasing trees in the
people of vicinity and start to plant such trees at their own. He spent a little amount for
purchasing of 2000 trees which collected through contribution by ECG group members.
Also, Mr. Muhammad Ali went to visit forest department for the provision of 2000 plants
of trees and desired to give him the fastest growing tree Conocarpus which easily can
survive in the weather of Dadu. Due to his tireless efforts, today the people of vicinity
realized the importance of tree planting and remember him ever in their prayers, being as
gentle and most helping souls.