Located some 20 kilometers to the South West of Addis Ababa Menagesha Medhanealem Monastery, is one of the monasteries of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church (EOTC) well known for its dense forest in its compound. While Menagesha area itself is in general known for its well reserved forest, the Monastery also sets good example in forest protection by the Church.
EOTC has received recognition for its long-standing tradition of conserving wide variety of trees in the compounds of its parishes and monasteries. Due to a high attention given by the Ethiopian government this year, the church with its development wing has planned to plant more seedlings across the country. In line with this the church plans to plant more than a million seedlings each year.
Abay Hunde, resident around Menagesha Medhanealem Monastery says the church is participating in mainstream activities across the country besides its religious mission. Especially the church is highly raising its role in forest and environment conservation. He further appreciated what the commission is doing on environment protection and conservation in collaboration with Norwegian Church Aid (NCA).
As to him, people must prevent climate change problem through planting and protecting forests as it is a natural resource that can assist the country’s economic development coupled with its social advantage. Unless forests are conserved and protected, we cannot breathe seamlessly and our life will be risky. Therefore it is important for all the society to collaborate with them to get clean environment for our entire life.
“Recently EOC-DICAC is planting many seedlings across the country through allocating 109 million Birr to conserve forests in churches and monasteries which benefits different
Located some 20 kilometers to the South West of Addis Ababa Menagesha Medhanealem Monastery, is one of the monasteries of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church (EOTC) well known for its dense forest in its compound. While Menagesha area itself is in general known for its well reserved forest, the Monastery also sets good example in forest protection by the Church.
EOTC has received recognition for its long-standing tradition of conserving wide variety of trees in the compounds of its parishes and monasteries. Due to a high attention given by the Ethiopian government this year, the church with its development wing has planned to plant more seedlings across the country. In line with this the church plans to plant more than a million seedlings each year.
Abay Hunde, resident around Menagesha Medhanealem Monastery says the church is participating in mainstream activities across the country besides its religious mission. Especially the church is highly raising its role in forest and environment conservation. He further appreciated what the commission is doing on environment protection and conservation in collaboration with Norwegian Church Aid (NCA).
As to him, people must prevent climate change problem through planting and protecting forests as it is a natural resource that can assist the country’s economic development coupled with its social advantage. Unless forests are conserved and protected, we cannot breathe seamlessly and our life will be risky. Therefore it is important for all the society to collaborate with them to get clean environment for our entire life.
“Recently EOC-DICAC is planting many seedlings across the country through allocating 109 million Birr to conserve forests in churches and monasteries which benefits different
parts of the society” says Agidew Redie (PhD), Development and Inter-Church Aid Commissioner (EOC-DICAC) of the EOTC.
During a recent visit to the forest of the monastery staff of the commission and member of NCA have planted about 300 seedlings in collaboration with the monastery’s community.
As to Agidew, the plantation helps societies to get good atmosphere on their compound apart from safeguarding the protected forest areas among the churches and monasteries. It is also vital to save the forests and improve economic status of the surrounding societies in engaging on different activities. The commission will further strengthen its role by drafting different projects, the commissioner added.
Furthermore, Agidew asserted that the commission is always on the side of the country’s development programs. Hence, we are preparing to play our role in achieving the premier’s ambitious plan, he said.
There up on, different kinds of seedlings and holes are prepared in the compounds of its parishes and monasteries across the country. Special attention is given for conserving endangered indigenous tree species like Juniperus procera, podocarpus graciller, Olea Africana, Hygenia Abyssinica, etc.
On the other hand, he stated that the commission is not working only at the compound of churches and monasteries, but also it is participating in reforestation programs across Ethiopia.
Simenesh Bekele on her part witnesses, “DICAC has converted about 80 hectares of land around Ankober town from desert to forest. And many societies have benefited from this golden opportunity. I am also one of them. Currently, I with other friends are planting and selling seedlings in this conserved area. Our life is completely changed. We are also producing crops using irrigation during rainy season,” she said.
Aba Abraham Mekonen, Evangelism and Spiritual Education Department head of the Monastery revealed that, forest is indispensable for environmental protection and food security. Hence, the ongoing activities by the commission in collaboration with NCA must be encouraged and strengthened. Not only EOC followers but also the societies who are earning their life around the compound are beneficiary.
Moreover, environmental protection helps each across the globe, every one of us should take our responsibility, he suggested. Especially, all Ethiopians in each corner should collaborate with the government for our better future life.
He further avowed that many of protected forests are found in various parishes which directly illustrate the participation of the church in forest conservation. For instance, the forest inside the compound of Waldiba and Asebot Monasteries and some other churches across the country are the result of forest conservation practices of the Church.
On the other hand Zelalem Ayichew, Humanitarian Program Head with NCA emphasized that plants help to clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink and provide habitat to over 80 percent of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. These are the basic reason for us to support the EOC-DICAC to engage in seedling plantation program.
Even with its challenges, NCA in collaborating with the commission is working with its culture in protecting forests. Especially it is contributing a great deal in protecting indigenous plants he asserted. As to him it is also important to park all religious institutions so far.
In addition to this, seedling plantation is vital for the society in creating job opportunity and getting its consumption. Likewise, plants help to cool the environment by sucking in and storing harmful greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, into their trunks, branches, and leaves, and releasing oxygen back into the atmosphere. Zelalem further stated that NCA will strengthened its support for the commission on such church forest and other development programs for benefiting the society.
The Ethiopian Herald July 20/2019
BY HIZKEL HAILU
