Thank you CPS and BVB volunteers!

Dear readers of our blog,
Mission Accomplished! I am very happy to inform you all that the tree planting at Gowdagere Higher Primary School is completed. On July 1st, the students and teachers of CPS (Oakland, California) and BVB (Mysore, India) came together to launch the 2010 Global Call to Youth: Tree Planting Venture in rural schools. Mr. Rajegowda, secretary of Parivarthana, gave us a summary of events. The volunteers reached the school at 11 A.M. The headmaster of Gowdagere School, Mr. Mahadevaiah, and the school development management committee president, Mr. Doddaiah Nayaka, welcomed the volunteers. Altogether, 125 forestry saplings were planted. Teak, Silver Oak, Pongamia, Neem, Moringa, Papaya, Curry Leaf Plant(Murraya koenigii), and Ashoka were some of the varieties that were planted. The students also watered and added manure (vermi-compost). By 1 P.M., the planting work was completed. The Project Jatropha Team provided lunch for all the volunteers. According to Mr. Rajegowda, the volunteers mingled well with the Gowdagere School Kids. The language barrier was overcome as the BVB students acted as translators.

The CPS Volunteers

Mr. Andy Dean planting Jatropha

After finishing the tree planting, the volunteers visited the Jatropha plots of several Phase I & II farmers to assess the project's progress. They saw the different models such as intercrop, wasteland, regular land, and bunds. Mr. Andy Dean and a few CPS students symbolically planted three Jatropha seedlings in Mr. Santosh, a Phase II farmer for gap filling. Now, we are half way through the tree planting in the rural schools. When we visit the project site in August, we plan on completing our target of 30 schools for 2010. The supervision, guidance, watering, fencing, manuring, weeding, and plant protection will be done by the respective schools' students.

On behalf of the Project Jatropha Team, I would like to thank the volunteers for making this a HUGE success.

~Apoorva