Children From The Dawoodi Bohra Community Celebrate World Bee Day.

On World Bee Day, nearly 20 children from the Dawoodi Bohra- a muslim based community, spent an afternoon in Hainault Forest discovering why bees are among the most important creatures on the planet and why their decline should concern us all.

Observed annually on 20th May by the United Nations, World Bee Day highlights the accelerating loss of pollinators and the threat this poses to global food systems and biodiversity. For the Dawoodi Bohra community, whose values of environmental care and service are central to community life, the day offered the ideal moment to connect the next generation with the natural world.

“Before today, I never truly realised how vital bees are to our environment. The rangers were absolutely brilliant, they made the walk fun, interactive and enjoyable for everyone.”
Aged 11, Danyal Motiwala, a child of the community at walk

The walk was led by Katya Kolesnykova and Janet Namakula, Events and Engagement Officer at The Woodland Trust, through the dappled woodland of Hainault Forest in Chigwell. The children encountered bumblebees, honeybees, and solitary red mason bees, learning the differences between them, how pollination works, and why the loss of even the most unassuming species ripples through the entire ecosystem.

The Dawoodi Bohra community’s Project Rise, a global philanthropic initiative spanning tree planting, coastal clean-ups, and volunteer conservation programmes across the UK and internationally reflects a long-held conviction that care for the earth is inseparable from faith and community responsibility. This walk was an expression of that commitment, designed to ensure the values of responsibilitytake root in the youngest members of the community.

The afternoon closed at the forest edge with the children making paper butterflies and learning about insect anatomy, their hands busy, their curiosity fully alive.

“We loved hosting the Dawoodi Bohra group. The children were so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about bees! It is such a wonderful community, and we would love to have them back to explore more of Hainault’s ancient forest.”
Janet Namakula, Events and Engagement Officer, The Woodland Trust

In a world that urgently needs a generation willing to act on the environmental challenges ahead, afternoons like this one matter.

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