Growing Green: Tree Planting with The Junior Team of Karuna Trust

On June 22nd, I had the incredible opportunity to be a part of something truly special. As a member of the Junior Team for Karuna Trust, I visited a local school in Sri Lanka (Diddeniya Junior School) where our mission for the day was to plant 100 trees and bring a touch of green to the lives of the students and the community. As we arrived, there were groups of young students, eager and excited to have visitors at their school. They seemed full of curiosity and anticipation as they gathered around us, some whispering excitedly to each other.

There were 100 trees to be planted around the school, some of fruits, flowers, etc. The kids were told to come with some of us from the Karuna Trust Junior Team and plant the trees. Doing this alongside the kids seemed to have brightened their day, giving me a feeling of fulfillment as well from seeing them in joy, just through our simple act of being there and working together with them. This not only made the students happy but also created a sense of bonding between the communities. It was a powerful reminder to me of the impact that kindness and engagement can have on a community.

We from the Junior Team planted the first couple of trees, where the children gathered around, watching intently, eager for their turns. When it came to their turn, they seemed to be thrilled to be a part of the process. As I mentioned, it was very heartwarming seeing them have so much joy, and work together so well to accomplish this. This collaborative effort from multiple communities not only brought joy to the children but also gave me a profound sense of fulfillment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By around mid-day, we finished planting all 20 of the trees around the school. To further support and help these students, we had generously donated gift cards from local shoe shops for each child. This gesture was another way to address their well-being by providing them with a sense of care and support from the wider community. The joy on the children’s faces as they received these was immensely rewarding. Seeing their reactions made it clear to me how these small acts of kindness made a significant difference in their lives, much like the trees we had planted together.

As someone who is more familiar with other types of community service, I found stepping into the role of hands-on work toward the environment was very eye-opening. Being able to directly be the one to pursue these actions as a part of Karuna Trust made me feel that this was not just a simple tree-planting activity, but also an educational experience for myself and the young kids of the local school.

 

This is the website link to the Karuna Trust website, and here is the link to the Karuna Trust Junior Team website.