Project Report
| Jun 13, 2024
Building Resilient Landscapes in Changing Climates
![Washed Out Road]()
Washed Out Road
Here in Kenya, we have profoundly experienced the effects of climate change, and it has been especially dramatic over the last few years. Nearly every season seems to hit a new record for one extreme environmental event or another. After a record-breaking long drought, we luckily had a reprieve of regular precipitation that gradually rehabilitated the land because we then received record-breaking heavy rainfall. A quick web search shows results describing the recent weather as "devastating" and "catastrophic", with one story after another telling of tragedies and fatalities. Severe flash floods washed out roads, making travel impossible or too risky. So, for a number of weeks, while these conditions prevented us from community visits and tree planting, we spent the time catching up on repairs and maintenance on our center and especially the tree nurseries.
Thankfully, Sadhana Forest Kenya and the community trees we have planted were all safe from the worst of the damage. These torrential rains were the biggest test yet for all our land engineering efforts. All the bunds, swales, and water catchments we thoughtfully designed and painstakingly built by hand successfully controlled the fallen water. They avoided the damage such heavy rains caused in other areas of the country. Instead of run-off and erosion that comes with flowing water, these implements catch the rain where it falls and will continue to hydrate the trees we have planted even as the weather dries up, and the surrounding areas become parched. There has already been an incredible explosion of vegetative growth (along with a fantastic return of bird activity!). It is hard to discern one thing from another in photos as everything is now green, green, green! We're looking forward to getting back out to the field for a round of monitoring, data collection, and evaluation.
Thank you to all of our donors, volunteers, and the GlobalGiving community—your support helps make this important work possible. If you would like to provide feedback, learn more about our projects, or volunteer with us, please email us at kenya@sadhanaforest.org. There is also an opportunity to leave a note at the end of this report.
Ashe Oleng! (“Thank you very much!” in Kisamburu)