Green Savers Club Kaduna: Raising Climate Leaders in Northern Nigeria
By: Abudu Olalekan
Change kicks off inside a room full of desks. There, learning shifts without warning.
Out in Kaduna State, the Bridge That Gap Initiative has moved past words. Action shapes their days now. With the Green Savers Club up and running, change takes root quietly. Young students are stepping forward – nudged by purpose. These kids? They’re learning to lead before they even realize it.
Last Thursday, May 28, 2026, Ms. Gloria Bulus spoke plainly in Kaduna while sitting for an interview. As executive director, she laid out what’s happening with the project without hesitation. The energy behind her words? Real work unfolding – no guesswork involved.
Out here, learning means getting hands dirty. Kids in primary and secondary classrooms take charge by planting trees, sorting trash, because that is how awareness grows – not from lectures but action. This program, shaped by Bulus, slips real responsibility into young hands. Right inside school grounds, clubs spark change while shaping habits. Part of BTG’s push through Northern Nigeria, it stands quiet yet steady, building leaders one small act at a time.
What if kids could shape a better planet? That is what drives the GSC effort, according to Bulus. Starting lessons early makes all the difference – conservation taught here, pollution strategies woven in there. Resilience under shifting climates fits right into the mix. Young minds grow strong enough to spark shifts where it matters most: at home.
One step at a time, it took root. In 2022, a single school hosted the first club by the NGO. Today unfolds differently – youth in Kaduna State stand together, shaped by that start, speaking up for the planet.
One step at a time, BTG moves forward into 2026 with bigger plans. Ten schools now sit on their list, each one a place where future leaders might begin. Not everything waits for later – four clubs already meet in Kaduna North and Chikun. While growth takes shape slowly, activity has started, real and steady.
Over near Sabo Tasha, there’s a nursery and primary run by the YMCA. Down Independence Way sits the secondary school made for girls under government care. Up in Ungwan Boro, you’ll find the Baptist Model School standing quiet. On Abeokuta Street along Kano Road, Ansar-Ud-Deen College holds classes each day.
Safe spaces come from these clubs, Bulus points out. Learning happens there, along with real involvement – students step forward when it comes to environmental matters. Where ideas turn into moves, thanks to group effort.
Out of reach until now, climate lessons are finding their way into school days through the GSC. Starting right where learning happens, it links big world issues to nearby experiences, she explained. Because these ideas take root early, kids begin seeing nature differently. With support from BTG, schools quietly shape how youth view responsibility. Their habits form around care, shaped by what they learn before graduation.
For support, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation created a guide on climate change for young people. This one stands out as helpful. Split by age groups, it meets kids where they are. Ages five through ten explore core ideas through games and stories. Older youth, eleven to seventeen, dig into complex topics while building skills to lead projects.
Bulus pointed out how it’s making waves – over 250 kids now involved thanks to those first four clubs. Reaching 1,000 students in 10 schools before 2026 wraps up stands as the target. Strength grows where connections form.
Imagine a world where forests breathe life back into cities. That idea drives the Earth Lungs Project. BTG plans to bring it straight into the GSCs. Growing trees is at its core, followed by careful tending and long-term protection. Since every tree acts like a living lung, filtering air while sheltering wildlife. Without them, balance fades faster than most notice.
Part of this effort means BTG introduces the Tree Logbook. A hands-on resource for kids at school who grow young plants. With it, learners follow how their saplings develop while noting care tasks step by step. Over months, these records help keep each tree alive and strong.
“This also ensures that every tree planted becomes part of a living legacy of climate action led by young people,” Bulus said.
Out in neighborhoods, tree planting unfolds – hundreds taking root where open ground waits. People nearby join in, along with school groups, shaping care that spreads quietly through streets and schools alike.
Wildlife gains ground when spaces breathe again – this shift brings fresher skies along with it. A balanced ecosystem grows where life finds room, not just survival. Cleaner air shows up wherever nature gets space to stretch. The outcome? Less strain on what lives, breathes, moves. Tomorrow shifts shape, quietly, when today respects roots and flight paths alike.
Bulus made it clear: when it comes to climate action, classrooms light the path ahead. Meanwhile, students known as Green Savers aren’t waiting – they’re moving first.
“Together, the Green Savers Clubs and the Earth Lungs Project will empower young people to plant hope, grow life, and restore our earth – one seedling, one school, and one community at a time.”
