How we multiply our impact

It’s easy to measure our work by the number of trees planted; working with communities to grow trees is why we exist. So of course, we care deeply about planting as many trees as possible.

But if we only count trees, we miss the bigger picture. We miss the quieter, deeper transformation that sits at the heart of the work. In everything we do, we ask how we can create the greatest impact for people and planet. And how we can multiply that impact – so that each pound goes further and lasts longer.

Let me give you one example. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters who gave to our Christmas appeal back in 2023, we worked with our partner, Perur Rays of Hope, in north-western Kenya to establish community-run tree nurseries. These nurseries quickly became micro-enterprises, providing a reliable income for the women who were very capably running them.

From the proceeds, the women set up a village savings and loan scheme, a trust-based, community bank. Over time, their savings grew. They decided to invest those savings in buying two calves each month, distributed by ballot so every woman would benefit in turn. In a community where cattle have traditionally been owned only by men, this was a quiet but powerful shift. Alongside increased household income came confidence, voice and ambition. Their goal now is simple: every woman owning a cow.

Meanwhile, the fruit trees raised in those nurseries are now growing on farms across the valley. This year, for the first time, many should bear fruit. And they will continue to do so for years to come.

I saw a different kind of multiplier effect on Mount Kenya. Visiting an area replanted five years earlier, what struck me most wasn’t the trees themselves. It was what they had made possible. With invasive bushes cleared and native trees re-established, seeds that had lain dormant for years had begun to regenerate naturally. Nature was doing the work itself again, a stark contrast to the monoculture plantations we see in parts of the UK.

Examples like these are why I believe so strongly in multiplier effects. Transformative restoration isn’t about shortcuts or single metrics. It’s about deep local understanding and long-term thinking – so that every pound we receive creates change that ripples outward, and endures.

Join us

You can multiply your impact and create lasting change through the power of trees. Join the International Tree Foundation today and help build transformative restoration.