Equatorial nations are experiencing the
worst effects of climate change. In Kenya,
droughts, floods and other extreme weather
events are increasing, with devastating
consequences for agriculture and food
security, plus causing widespread human
and animal displacement.
That’s why The Word Forest Organisation,
a UK-based charity working to plant trees,
empower disadvantaged communities
and facilitate education in Kenya, is focused
on bringing permaculture food forests to
local communities.
TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE
So far, we’ve helped plant more than
147,000 trees in Boré, Kenya. Fast-growing
trees in the tropics grow up to 10 times faster
than anywhere else on the planet; they’re
actively cleaning the air we breathe and
just one tree can absorb up to a quarter of a
tonne of CO₂ and other pollutants in a small
handful of years.
We place huge importance on supporting
the communities that work to nurture the
trees, many of which provide vital fruits,
nuts and medicines. Most tree planting and
care is done via the women’s empowerment
group we founded, the Mothers of the Forest,
which has over 40 members. The Mothers
have planted thousands of crop-bearing trees,
boosted local food and water security and
gained an income through selling the crops.
In 2019, we facilitated literacy and numeracy
lessons for the Mothers, many of whom had
never been to school, which was crucial to
helping them find financial security.OUR PERMACULTURE PROJECT
To boost sustainability and crop diversity
without harming the environment, we have
equipped the Mothers of the Forest with
the knowledge and tools they need to use
permaculture and regenerative agricultureSignal Boost
techniques. These include encouraging
biodiversity, using natural pest control methods
and limiting water usage. Education and
training provided by local tutors and facilitated
by us has resulted in the creation of a one acre
“food forest”, which will increase food and
water security in the area.
We now plan to replicate the project at
primary schools where we’ve built classrooms.
Once the children and teachers learn the
principles of permaculture, they’ll be able to
grow food in a sustainable way, providing a
much-needed boost to their school meals,
which can be irregular and lack variety.
From February we are thrilled to welcome
meteorologist Clare Nasir as our Patron and Bill
McGuire, Emeritus Professor of Geophysical &
Climate Hazards at University College London
as our Special Scientific Advisor.Want to help?
We can’t do this without your support. If you can, donate today to help
mitigate climate change and bring food and water security to communities
living in poverty. Visit wordforest.org/ns to contribute to our work.Welcome to our Signal Boost project – a page for charitable organisations
to get their message out to a global audience, free of charge. Today, a message
from The Word Forest Organisation