Planting the Future: Trees and the Change Makers Garden in Kenya
"When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and hope." Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner, said that. We think about it every time we walk down the long, dusty trail to the Change Makers Garden.
You can only reach it by motorbike or on foot. And it's one of our favorite places in Kenya.
The short version: Every year, Zawadisha plants hundreds of trees in Taita Taveta County, Kenya. We pay local women to care for the Change Makers Garden and to train their peers in tree planting, creating jobs where few exist. Indigenous trees help restore the land, and fruit trees provide food and income.
Why plant trees in Taita Taveta County?
Taita Taveta is a dry, drought-stricken county, and people here live with the effects of climate change every day. Most families depend on growing their own food. Replanting with indigenous trees helps revitalize the land and encourage rain, which matters enormously when your next meal depends on the next harvest.
How does it help women?
- Paid work: women from a local women's group are paid to care for the garden.
- Paid training: women are paid to teach their peers how to plant and care for trees.
- Food and income: the fruit trees they plant start bearing fruit in about two years, feeding the household and creating something to sell.
Why does Zawadisha do this?
It's not just about offsetting our footprint. It's about deliberate action that makes women's lives better, supports under-resourced communities and helps repair the damage caused by deforestation.
How can I help?
Your donation supports our work in Kenya, including the Change Makers Garden. Visiting on one of our trips to Kenya? Ask to see the garden.