In keeping with UN’s theme of ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality, Grow-Trees.com is creating green livelihoods for womenOn International Women’s Day, it is sobering to read the United Nations’ overview of women’s lack of online access and how it will cause a $1.5 trillion loss to the gross domestic product of low and middle-income countries by 2025 unless some action is taken.
_______________________________________________________________________
Read Also : This Train Turns Methane From Human Waste Into Electricity As Eco-Friendly Fuel
________________________________________________________________________
Supriya Patil, an environmentalist working with social organisation Grow-Trees.com says, “It is not just digital gender gap but also pervasive social and economic inequality that denies women and girls employment opportunities. Our initiative ‘DigiWe: Empowering her future,’ aims to leverage technology to create jobs for marginalised women even in the most underserved regions. With just one click, individuals, collectives and corporate entities all over the county can donate a tree, support an afforestation project and empower these women to not just repair rural and tribal ecosystems but to also become financially independent.”
Grow-Trees.com has been demonstrating for over 13 years how with just a single click, anyone can help expand the nation’s green cover and also empower women like Meera Bai (32) who hails from Bardiya, Pratapgarh, Rajasthan. She has now been a part of Grow-Trees.com’s plantation activities for a while and is able to provide for her two children and also offer additional financial support to her spouse. She says, “I am also pleased that I now get to participate in an activity other than domestic tasks. I feel more empowered and have a sense of purpose I didn’t have before.”
_______________________________________________________________________
Read Also : Arctic methane release due to melting ice is likely to happen again
________________________________________________________________________
Hansidevi, who hails from a village in Uttarakhand also has a similar story to tell. Because of Grow-Tree.com’s plantation initiatives, she has been able to construct a nursery of over 1500 saplings along the riverside and is now financially independent. She says, “Once these saplings mature, they will provide fodder for the buffaloes and save the village over Rs. 15000 per year. I also earn a steady income by selling the fruits, flowers, and other byproducts of the vegetation I have planted with my own hands. This is truly fulfilling work and gives me immense pride and self-confidence.”
Grow-Trees. com has also initiated plantation drives for the benefit of the underserved Irula tribe in Vepperi village, Tamil Nadu. Amla and Guava trees have been planted to meet the villagers’ nutrition and vitamin requirements and the project is also enabling women who have never earned before, a chance to get a sustainable income.
_______________________________________________________________________
Read Also : Scientists Discover First Methane Leak in Antarctica; Warn of Intense Warming Threat Over Icy…
________________________________________________________________________
Supriya concludes, “Our aim is to educate rural communities about the environmental benefits of planting trees, to also boost the green economy and bridge economic gender gaps. The good news is that everyone can be a part of this movement. All it takes is a click and the desire to change a life. Or many.”
Tags: #climate, #environment, #garden, #getgreengetgrowing, #gngagritech, #greenstories, #happywomenday, #nature, #planting, #ruralwomen, #saplings, #trees, #women
