Jan's Trees: The Malambo Grassroots Tree-planting Project
In August this year, Rose Charities and the world lost Jan Johnston, a volunteer of boundless energy and compassion who contributed so much to innumerable projects and while, in the process touching many hearts and lives.
From 2005 onwards, Jan Johnston was one of Rose Charities’ exemplary volunteers. She co-founded Rose Charities Vietnam in 2007 and helped build a team to expand its focus from Be Tho orphanage near Saigon to a number of other projects including the Sia Training Centre for the Blind, sight restoration operations, revival of a traditional paper flower-making craft industry and disaster relief efforts. She returned to Southeast Asia several times over the next decade to work on diverse projects including helping to develop a Physical Therapy Clinic in Phnom Penh while supporting Rose’s flagship Sight Restoration Clinic there and implementing disaster relief operations in Cebu after Super Typhoon Haiyan (“Yolanda”) struck the Philippines in late 2014.
More recently, Jan was a tireless campaigner with Elders for Ancient Trees to save BC’s rare old-growth forests. Though tragically Jan passed away in August of this year she would have been proud to see that the BC Government is finally dedicating funds to enable a transition to sustainable , indigenous-led forest conservation.
As a tribute to Jan’s Rose and forest legacies, Malambo Grassroots has agreed to establish a fund to support and expand its seedling tree-planting project in Zambia’s Monze District. Inspired by Jan’s boundless compassion and deep-rooted connection to nature, we invite you to donate to make this new growth in Zambia a reality. Early contributors will see their donations matched.”