September 2025 - Green Pamoja Initiative

From Seed to Shade: The Journey of a Tree in Our Campaigns

Leocadia / September 22, 2025

Every Big Change Starts Small A single seed has the power to transform landscapes and lives. Just as a tree grows from something almost invisible into something that shelters and sustains, so too does community change begin with small, deliberate actions. In Kenya, tree planting is more than an environmental duty, it is a movement of hope, resilience, and renewal. At Green Pamoja Initiative, our reforestation campaigns mirror the journey of a tree: from the tiny seed nurtured in community nurseries, to the planting days that bring people together, to the mature tree that provides shade, food, and protection. Each stage reflects the resilience of communities working together for a greener future. Through our campaigns in Lamu County and beyond, Green Pamoja is not just planting trees, we are planting opportunities, livelihoods, and a legacy of environmental stewardship. 👉 Learn how you can join our campaigns. The Seed: Nurturing Hope in Tree Nurseries The journey begins in a tree nursery. Managed by Green Pamoja and local community members, these nurseries are more than places for seedlings they are hubs of knowledge, employment, and resilience. Here, indigenous trees are carefully selected and nurtured to ensure survival and support biodiversity unique to Kenya’s coastal ecosystems. Species such as mangroves in Lamu and acacias inland thrive in their natural habitats. They resist disease, withstand drought, and provide vital ecological balance. According to the Kenya Forest Service, planting indigenous species is critical to restoring degraded ecosystems. Community-run nurseries bring additional benefits: Each seedling represents both environmental and social growth. From these nurseries, seedlings will one day stand tall, offering shade, fruit, and protection for generations. 👉 Support our community tree nurseries and give life to a future forest. Planting Day: A Community Coming Together When planting day arrives, energy fills the air. Volunteers gather, students in uniform, women’s groups, youth leaders, farmers, and Green Pamoja staff. The day begins with land preparation: digging holes, spacing seedlings, and preparing the soil. As each seedling is planted, knowledge is shared on watering techniques, mulching, and protection from grazing animals. Beyond the practical work, planting days are celebrations of unity, resilience, and hope. Elders share stories about the role of trees in cultural traditions, while children learn that planting one seedling is planting for their future. Songs, laughter, and teamwork echo as the earth receives new life. These events also strengthen awareness of climate issues, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change, while empowering communities with a sense of ownership. As UNEP notes, community participation is essential for sustainable reforestation success. 👉 Find out how you can volunteer with Green Pamoja in our next tree planting day. Growing Strong: The First Years of Care Planting a tree is just the beginning, the real journey begins in the first fragile years of growth. During this time, seedlings require regular watering, weeding, mulching, and protection. Without care, survival rates drop drastically. Communities face many challenges in these early years: Yet resilience and creativity shine. Farmers build protective fences from local materials. Women’s groups organize watering rotations. Children are encouraged to “adopt” trees in their schools. At Green Pamoja, we support this stage through follow-up visits, monitoring survival rates, and farmer training. By teaching communities to care for trees, we create a culture of stewardship where everyone feels responsible for the forest. The survival of each tree becomes a shared achievement, and as saplings grow strong, so do the communities around them. Shade and Shelter: The Mature Tree’s Impact When a tree matures, its presence transforms both landscapes and lives. In one Lamu community, years after a reforestation campaign, barren fields now enjoy shade, fertile soil, and higher farm yields. Children play safely under canopies while farmers harvest healthier crops. Each mature tree stands as a monument of patience, care, and collaboration. 👉 Read more about our success stories from communities in Lamu. Beyond One Tree: The Forest of Change A single tree is powerful, but when multiplied, it becomes a forest of change. Together, these trees restore ecosystems, regulate climates, and secure livelihoods for entire regions. Our campaigns go beyond individual trees, they create forests that fight climate change, conserve biodiversity, and generate economic opportunities. From Lamu’s mangrove restoration to inland agroforestry, every tree contributes to a collective vision: forests that protect coastlines, feed families, and stabilize our climate. As the FAO highlights, reforestation is one of the most cost-effective climate change solutions. How You Can Be Part of the Journey The journey from seed to shade is not complete without you. Every person has the power to plant hope and create change. You can: Your contribution, big or small, ensures that more trees survive, more communities thrive, and more landscapes are restored. Conclusion: From Seed to Shade, We Grow Together The journey of a tree mirrors the journey of a community: beginning small, nurtured with care, and growing into a source of resilience and hope. Each seed planted today becomes tomorrow’s shade, tomorrow’s livelihood, and tomorrow’s legacy. Through our reforestation campaigns in Kenya, Green Pamoja is not just restoring landscapes, we are strengthening lives.

Environmental conservation, Reforestation

HOW TREE PLANTING IN LAMU IS RESTORING HOPE AND LIVELIHOODS

Peter Mwangi / September 20, 2025

Introduction: The Roots of the Problem In the coastal beauty of Lamu County, Kenya, a silent crisis has taken root. Once-green landscapes are now bare and fragile. Trees have been felled for fuel, building construction, repairs, unsustainable farming practices, charcoal production, uncontrolled grazing, and for settling new communities. This has led to widespread deforestation, rampant soil erosion, and declining farm productivity. Water tables are dropping, biodiversity is diminishing, and once-thriving communities, including the indigenous Boni, are struggling to survive. Against this backdrop, a quiet revolution is underway. Through efforts in tree planting in Lamu, local communities, supported by grassroots organisations like Green Pamoja, are reclaiming their land, restoring their forests, and building resilient futures. What began as modest reforestation efforts is now becoming a powerful force for climate action in Lamu County, and is drawing recognition nationally and internationally. The Crisis in Lamu: Why Trees Matter Deforestation in Lamu is not just an environmental issue, it’s a socio-economic and ecological issue. According to recent studies, the Kenyan coast is home to many of the country’s mangroves, which act not only as coastal protection but also as essential livelihood resources. For example, mangrove loss in Kenya between 1985 and 2009 reached nearly 20% in many regions. Given that over 70% of Lamu’s residents depend on agriculture, livestock, fishing, and natural resources, environmental degradation is not distant, it’s immediate and dire. Tree Planting as a Game-Changer Reforestation and agroforestry offer real, measurable change. Tree growing in Lamu is restoring ecosystems and rebuilding communities. Key Benefits of Reforestation Green Pamoja’s Efforts in Lamu Stories of Change: Voices from the Community Once struggling with poor harvests, Asha joined a local agroforestry project in 2022. With trees lining her farm, her maize yields doubled due to better soil and shade. “Before, I had no hope,” she says. “Now, my children eat well, and I even sell extra produce.” Hassan, 23, used to spend his days idle. He now leads coastal mangrove restoration drives, learning environmental skills and earning a stipend. “This work gives me pride. I’m not just planting trees, I’m building a future.” In Hindi village, a women-led nursery grows seedlings for local farms. Through this eco-enterprise, members earn steady incomes and fund their children’s school fees. Their motto: “Empower a woman, grow a forest.” These success stories from Lamu reflect how community empowerment through trees transforms lives, not just landscapes. Beyond the Environment: Livelihoods & Economic Impact Reforestation isn’t only about trees: it’s about people, jobs, income, and resilience. Across Kenya, other projects show similar benefits. Nature Kenya, with Community Forest Associations (CFAs), planted thousands of indigenous trees, restoring degraded land and increasing water security. BirdLife International The “20 Million Trees Campaign” targets degraded areas and water towers, helping Kenya increase forest cover. Global Relevance: Why Lamu’s Story Matters Lamu is more than a local case study. How You Can Help Restore Lamu Even if you’re not local, you can still make a difference: Conclusion: Planting Hope, Growing Futures Every tree planted in Lamu is more than a sapling it’s a symbol of resilience, renewal, and future possibilities. These tree growing efforts are not only healing the land; they are rebuilding livelihoods, reconnecting communities with nature, and demonstrating that local actions can ripple out to global change. By supporting reforestation in Lamu, you’re helping foster a greener, fairer, more sustainable future for Lamu, for Kenya, and for the world. Together, we can plant hope and grow change.