From Planting Trees to Saving Lives: Philemon Wafula’s Journey

My story with the Mary Munei Foundation began with a jembe (a hand hoe), a seedling and a willingness to serve.

I was among the first young people to volunteer in the early tree-planting activities supported by the Mary Munei Community Resource Centre (MCRC) in Bungoma. Charcoal burning had left parts of the landscape dry and dusty, so we began planting indigenous trees behind the Munei family home and later on farms acquired for tree planting across the area.

At the same time, I was one of the early beneficiaries of the MCRC scholarship programme, which supported my secondary school education and gave me mentorship. I understood that the opportunity came with a responsibility to give back. Volunteering in the tree-planting activities was my way of paying that support forward.

Those early seedlings taught me lessons that have stayed with me ever since. Trees do not grow overnight. They need care, water, patience and protection. I began to see that the same is true of people.

As the work grew, so did my understanding of the link between a healthy environment and healthy communities. Trees provide cleaner air, protect water sources, offer food and shade, and reduce pressure on forests and household fuel. The connection between environmental stewardship and human wellbeing became central to my own sense of purpose.

A tree grows roots. A health worker grows community.

With the Foundation’s support, I pursued further education and training. Whenever I felt discouraged, I remembered those first seedlings. They survived because somebody had planted them, cared for them and believed they would become something bigger.

Today I am a health-care professional working with the Ministry of Health in Kenya. My work has taken me from planting trees to helping people live healthier lives, yet I see it as part of the same journey. The seedlings I once planted represented life and possibility. Today my work is centred on protecting and improving the lives of children, mothers, families and communities.

The Mary Munei Foundation taught me that when we care for the environment, we are also caring for the people who depend on it. And when we invest in a young person, we invest in the future of an entire community.

Giving back does not always mean returning exactly what you received. Sometimes it means taking an opportunity, growing with it and using what you have learned to serve others. I began by helping plant trees. Today I help build healthier families and communities. In both cases, the work is about planting life and giving it the chance to flourish.

When we plant trees, we plant ourselves.