A public garden on the premises of Pugachiv Psychoneurological Institution for Women (Korosten district, Zhytomyr Region) was laid out on 4 July by volunteers from Kyiv Islamic Cultural Centre. Ms.Olena Myronenko, Ms. Yulia Sierkova, Mr.Tariq Sarhan and Mr.Ismail Al-Bekhesi planted chestnuts, willows, shawnee woods and birches.

Olena Myronenko, Head of Women’s Social Organisation “Maryam” and initiator, said that the benefit was a part of a national initiative “One Million Trees”. She explained that the small number of participants was due to quarantine; working in the open air was fine, but they didn’t want to risk bringing more participants to share the same vehicles from and to Kyiv for hours.

The volunteers hope that all the trees survive, and the wards of the  Psychoneurological Institution (as of today, there are 102 patients) will have a nice place for their walks in future. They are looking forward to returning to the premises in the autumn, in order to lay out an orchid that would later provide the patients and staff with fruit for their meals, adding vitamins to their ratio.

According to the volunteers, planting trees is a God’s work for a Muslims, regardless if it’s done in terms of some benefit or as a private initiative. One not just improves their environment, but plants a lasting charity, sadaqah jariyah, getting rewarded for every living creature fed and sheltered by those trees — even after the person who planted them is dead. Besides, this practice makes our country better for everyone.