SEED Plants a Forest in China
Voices
SEED Plants a Forest in China
 |
To bring hope and resources to a local school
8 June 2007, Korla, China
As far as I know, this is the first project of its kind in China, and I am proud to be a part of it. The idea for the Korla Hope Forest came about in 2006 at the suggestion of Li Ning, the former Schlumberger base manager in Korla, who thought it was important to plant more trees in the city, which is situated within a vast desert.
Almost immediately, the scope of the project expanded beyond its initial environmental purpose. Li Ning extended the project to support a remote school in need of assistance. Andir School, located in the Taklimakan desert, lacks many basic necessities that are essential for a school in today’s world. For this same reason, the school did not meet the criteria required to become a SEED connected school. But there was still a chance for Schlumberger and SEED to help. Of the school’s 60 students, most of them have never left Andir Town. Li Ning and the SEED team called on Schlumberger employees to donate trees to support the school. Each contribution is applied to upgrading the school’s facilities, and also supports a visit by all the students to the nearby town, Urumqi.
 |
 |
By May 2007, we have planted approximately 3000 trees in the base yard, a vast amount of planting that was noticed and commended by the local government. The collection from the trees is large enough to build a library, install shelves, and buy books. We are still working on the funding for the school trip to Urumqi. As the school is also quite far from the Korla Base, our local employees have not been able to visit it. We hope to arrange a visit in the future.
 |
We opened our first school in September 2002 in Korla City, and have since added five more. We held one workshop in April 2007 with 36 teachers and students attending. In the next year, SEED would like to organize several SEED workshops in China. While Andir School is not part of the SNP, it is still critical for us to help them achieve success. The Hope Forest is an excellent idea that gives our colleagues a chance to help children in a remote area. Students are the future of our world, and I am really happy I could join and lead this landmark project. For me, helping others gives me the most satisfaction and happiness I could ask for in my job.
See the "Hope Forest for children from West China" poster.
