Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani planted a Sidra tree to mark the inauguration of the Children’s Museum ‘Dadu’ garden project of Qatar Museums, yesterday. H H the Amir planted the 600,000th tree as part of the initiative to plant a million trees, with the participation of repre-sentatives of the founding members of the Dadu Children’s Museum.
H H the Amir also listened to a presentation about objectives of the initiative to plant a million trees and the Children’s Museum garden project, and various activities and stimulating, interactive and exploratory programmes.
His Highness was accom-panied during the visit by Chairperson of Qatar Museums Board of Trustees H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, President of the Inter-national Football Association (FIFA) Gianni Infantino, and a number of Their Excellencies the ministers and senior offi-cials .Also underscoring Qatar Museums’ long-term com-mitment to sustainability, six representatives of Dadu’s ‘Founding Family’ were invited to attend the ceremony and followed His Highness’ lead in planting trees for the Garden.
This gesture was an open call for community members to join in planting trees that will flourish at Dadu, the first pub-licly funded national entity, whose mission is to provide innovative child development settings and resources to children, families and educators.
The tree which His Highness planted is a specially developed Qatari Sidr, which bears grafts of three other varieties of this tree: Indian, Chinese and North African. When the tree matures, all four species will flower and produce fruit, symbolising Qatar’s role in many interna-tional initiatives, such as the FIFA World Cup 2022, and the importance of global citizenship to Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar.
This first tree in the Dadu Garden was made possible by the organisers of the Agriculture Expo 2023.
Also participating in the tree planting ceremony were representatives of the current members of the museum’s ‘Founding Family’, including, Baladna, the Ministry of the Municipality, the Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs, Ooredoo, Intesa San-paolo, and Schlumberger, who planted Frankincense, Meswak, Arabic Gum, Louz and Tut trees.
H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani said, “It is with immense joy that today we begin to plant the Dadu Garden – a core element of Dadu, Chil-dren’s Museum of Qatar, and of our vision for a greener and sustainable future. Qatar has taken an active, international role in this field since 2012, when we hosted the 18th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Doha, and outlined our sustainability commitments at the United Nations Climate Conference in 2019.
Today, through this ceremony for Dadu Garden, we carry forward our national campaign to plant ten million trees, as recently announced at the COP26 Conference, and host the first ‘Green’ FIFA World Cup.”
“The Dadu Garden will be a place where children and families can learn about nutrition, healthy eating, the environment, earth sciences, and much more, all while helping to grow foods and herbs that hold significance in our region. We celebrate this milestone and extend our gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani and to members of our ‘Founding Family’ – the key supporters who are making this museum a reality – for their commitment to enriching the lives of children and families in Qatar.”
Dr. Mohamed Al Sada, President of the Dadu Advisory Committee, Children’s Museum of Qatar, said: “With the deepest appreciation to His Highness, Her Excellency, and our ‘Founding Family’ of sup-porters, we celebrate this event as marking the next stage in our rapid progress. Within a year, we will be welcoming the children and families of Qatar to the Dadu Garden, an inspiring space designed to meet their needs and provide endless opportunities to learn.”
The Dadu Garden, in which the first trees were planted today, will comprise an outdoor kitchen, community garden and permaculture garden with different types of edible landscapes including an herb garden (with spearmint, parsley, sage, basil, and many others), vegetable crops (including tomatoes, lettuce, and eggplant, among others), and fruit trees (with guava, mango, lemon, bananas, and pomegranate). It is located on grounds that will also include programming and event spaces, water features and diverse landscapes, an amphi-theatre, playgrounds, and picnic areas.
The Dadu Garden will be complete by October 2022, in time for the FIFA World Cup, making it possible for people including FIFA fan fest zone spectators to enjoy family-friendly activities in the Garden and healthy meals. All community members, including schools and families, are invited to follow the example of His Highness and the Founding Family by joining in the planting activity