GoldStar Insurance Company Limited celebrated 30 years in business by planting 150 trees at Kira Primary School in Wakiso District, underscoring its ongoing dedication to environmental protection and community welfare.
Held on July 17, the tree-planting event was carried out alongside My Tree Initiative Uganda and five Rotary Clubs, namely Namugongo, Bukerere, Bweyogerere Central, Kyambogo and Kira. The activity forms part of GoldStar’s 30th-anniversary festivities, themed “30 Years. One Promise.”
Staff from GoldStar joined environmental specialists, Rotary members and schoolchildren to establish a combination of productive fruit trees and native shade-giving species on the school grounds. Fruit varieties included avocado, mango, guava and jackfruit, alongside indigenous species such as Mugavu, Musambya, Ensaali and Entasesa.
Over 391 students were given hands-on instruction in tree maintenance, including watering and general care, courtesy of My Tree Initiative Uganda. Responsibility for specific tree zones was handed to the school’s Environmental Club, ensuring the trees would be looked after well into the future.
Organizers noted that the fruit-bearing trees should begin supplementing school feeding programs within two to three years, while the shade trees are expected to curb soil erosion and lessen flooding near classrooms during heavy rainfall. Once matured, the trees could absorb roughly three metric tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
GoldStar Insurance’s Chief Operations Officer, Enock Mudadi, addressed attendees, describing the initiative as a reflection of the company’s enduring commitment to protecting Ugandans and nurturing future generations.
“For thirty years, GoldStar has stood with Ugandans through storms, fires, floods and uncertainty. Insurance is, at its heart, a promise about the future, and there is no more honest way to invest in the future than to plant a tree with a child and commit to seeing it grow,” he said.
He added that the firm’s dedication to protection reaches beyond insurance products, extending to safeguarding the natural environment that sustains communities and livelihoods.
He further remarked that the same consistency that has kept GoldStar a dependable insurer for three decades mirrored the diligence shown by the students that day, noting that the visit to Kira Primary School was about more than planting trees, it was about instilling a mindset of environmental responsibility.
The project will now enter a second phase, with My Tree Initiative Uganda taking charge of ongoing tree care, tracking survival rates, mapping planting sites via GPS, and conducting periodic follow-up visits to guarantee the initiative’s success.
To mark the occasion, GoldStar also handed out branded school bags, T-shirts and educational materials to the pupils involved, acknowledging their part in caring for the newly planted trees.
A member of the Ruparelia Group, GoldStar Insurance has been offering general insurance services in Uganda since 1996 and is marking three decades of operation this year under the banner “30 Years. One Promise.” The company describes the tree-planting campaign as part of its wider mission to protect both people and the planet for generations ahead.