BUSIA: The State Department for Economic Planning has launched a novel intervention to shield schoolgirls from the “triple threat” of teenage pregnancy, HIV, and gender-based violence (GBV).

The “Adopt a Fruit Tree” Initiative, officially rolled out at Siera Girls High School, seeks to use environmental conservation as a tool for social protection.

Speaking at the launch on Wednesday, Economic Planning PS Boniface Makokha revealed that while Busia’s school dropout rate is relatively low (6.1 percent), the county’s teenage pregnancy rate has soared to 18 percent significantly higher than the 15 percent national average.

According to Dr Makokha, Busia currently ranks 5th nationally in counties most affected by the triple threat.

The statistics underline a deepening adolescent crisis for instance over 115 new infections are recorded annually among those aged 10–19, on the violence facet, at least nine girls in the county experience sexual or gender-based violence every single day.

This has had a negative impact on thousands of girls who drop out of school annually, leading to long-term socio-economic stagnation.

Why Fruit Trees?

The initiative, which began with the planting of 600 fruit seedlings, is designed to be more than a symbolic gesture.

NCPD Acting Director General Lucy Kimondo explained that fruit trees offer a “tangible anchor” for school retention:

Once mature, the trees will provide essential vitamins for students and further generate income when surplus produce is sold out.

By “adopting” a tree, students develop a sense of ownership and a reason to remain in the school environment to watch their investment grow.

The program aligns with the government’s broader commitment to eliminate the triple threat by 2030.

It also supports the national climate agenda of planting 15 billion trees by 2032, aiming to move Kenya’s forest cover from 12percent to 30 percent.

“Education remains the bedrock of development,” Dr Makokha stated, calling on parents and local leaders to protect the seedlings as carefully as they protect the children they represent.