A group of children from the leisure school Jeímaros, linked to the parish of Santa María Madre de Dios in Tres Cantos, has participated in the replanting of trees on a beekeeping farm devastated by the fire on August 11, 2025.
The fire that devastated part of Tres Cantos on August 11, 2025, caused one fatality, destroyed four homes, and resulted in the death of 18 horses. It also affected a small family beekeeping farm. Almost a year later, the parish community of Santa María Madre de Dios has responded with a reforestation initiative driven by the leisure school Jeímaros.
Nieves López, a teacher at Jeímaros, explains that the farm belongs to a humble family that has always collaborated with the parish during summer camps. “We have done everything we could,” she notes. The idea of replanting trees arose as a way to assist in the reconstruction while simultaneously educating the children in ecological values and solidarity.
The activity consisted of a morning of work in which the children learned how to make a hole to plant a tree, choose the right fertilizer, compact the soil, and water correctly. The family that owns the farm guided the children through the entire process, showing them the care required for bees and other farm animals, such as horses, donkeys, and chickens.
“It’s an opportunity for the children to know where milk and eggs come from, because today it seems they believe they come directly from the supermarket,” reflects López. The experience aims to connect young people with the origin of food and foster respect for agricultural work.
The Jeímaros school, whose name evokes an ancient Christian song about “the torrent of living water that falls from the mountain,” has 25 teachers who contribute their professional specialties. “We are so many because each one is a specialist in their field; for example, first aid is taught by a paediatrician,” López details.
The initiative is regulated and issues an official certificate from the Community of Madrid. Each year, about 15 children go through this training. López encourages other parishes to follow this model: “To create a leisure and free time school, it only takes two people. What unites us is the desire to train the kids to spend their time on something different from video games.”
Additionally, Jeímaros collaborates closely with a parish group dedicated to integral ecology, inspired by the encyclical Laudato Si. This group advises on waste management and food purchases for the camps with the aim of reducing environmental impact. “When we prepare the camps, they advise us on what foods to buy to avoid generating more impact than necessary,” adds López.
The reforestation of the beekeeping farm is just one of the solidarity actions that the Tres Cantos community has carried out after the fire. The affected family has been gradually rebuilding their farm, and the help from the children and their families has provided both moral and practical support.
For the residents of Tres Cantos, this initiative represents an example of how citizen collaboration and education in values can contribute to the recovery of a damaged environment. The Jeímaros school is already preparing new activities for the next academic year, always with the aim of educating young people in respect for nature and solidarity.
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