50000 trees/year for a self-reliant rural Senegal

Dear Friends,

We at CREATE! thank you for your continued support of our reforestation program in rural Senegal. With your help, we have planted 30,000 trees again in 2024 around various rural regions of Senegal. These trees not only provide food and shade to the communities, but also creates a microclimate in the hot rural region and is a source of cleaner air. As you read this report today where we showcase all the beneficial impact of our reforestation program, we urge you to think about how you can impact communities around the world with the gift of trees.

Our team in Senegal recently sat with Anta, a community member from Keur Ndiouga, to discuss the tree planting campaign in their community and how it has affected their daily lives. Here is what she shared with us. When asked about any noticeable improvements in their lived environment after planting trees, Anta mentioned how the trees they have planted over the years are “playing a crucial role in regulating the climate, purifying the air, preserving and promoting biodiversity by creating habitats for various species, while also protecting against erosion thanks to their roots” She also talked about how the shade trees reduce heat by providing shade and regulating local temperatures, allowing the women to work in the garden even during intense summer temperatures.

The trees have impacted the wellbeing of the community members by improving their diet too. The community of Keur Ndiouga have planted many fruit trees like papaya, pomegranate, guava, citrus and pomegranate together with cashew nut trees and moringa trees in their cooperative garden as well as around the village. These trees, by providing fresh fruits and nuts, have played a crucial part in a better nutritional outcome for the community according to Anta. “The trees started to produce results after a few years of planting We have already harvested many fruits from our plants, which is a real joy for the village.”

Anta is just one of many women from communities across Senegal who are benefitting from the joys of planting trees, creating a better lived environment for them and their family’s future. CREATE!’s philosophy of having responsible and long-lasting changes that benefit local communities as well as the local environment is “bearing fruit” today in all our 23 partner communities. We thank you all for your continued support that has enabled us to do so.

This giving season, please considering giving the gift of trees and a better environment, wherever you are.

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