Planting trees and growing futures

Trees sustain life on Earth. Yet they’re being wiped out. In their place come poverty, uncertainty and climate shocks. For communities in the remote mountains of East Africa, the consequences, the consequences are devastating.

Across Uganda’s degraded hillsides, the land is barren and broken. Strong winds tear down homes. Landslides claim lives. Rivers burst their banks, destroying everything in their path.

“The hills are too fragile and the land is too bare, it is prone to landslides and soil erosion.” says Elda Masika, a tree planter. “We depend on agriculture as a living. It is leading to hunger and low standards of living.”

But there is hope and it grows from the ground up.

Alpha Women Empowerment Initiative (AWEI) is one of ITF’s longest standing partners; we’ve been planting trees with them since 2015. Based in Kasese, Western Uganda the women of AWEI are restoring their land and and rebuilding their futures.

Preaching the gospel

“People did not know the advantages of trees and the disadvantages of cutting down trees. So, Alpha came in to preach the gospel,” says Margret Masika, AWEI’s chair. “We told them that trees give us oxygen and give us rainfall.”

“Trees help to bind the soil particles together and control soil erosion,” adds Elda. “They act as wind breakers, and when the wind blows, it does not affect the crops that are planted under them.”

Together, we’re planting trees in forests, farms, schools and homes — and bamboo along the River Nyamwamba to stop it bursting its banks. “The bamboo has started growing and binding the soil,” says Annet Kamalha. “In the future, flooding will be controlled.”

Beyond tree planting

Beyond improving their landscape, the women of AWEI are helping to uplift other local women. “Women here were so poor, without a way to earn a living,” Margret explains. “Now, we are training them in vocational skills so they can support their families.”

Jetrida from Nyakazinga village received pawpaw trees thanks to AWEI and has been selling the fruit. Recently she earned over 600,000 Uganda shillings. The money has helped her to buy iron sheets, which she’s going to use for roofing her house.

AWEI are also establishing women-led tree nurseries which supply healthy local seedlings to the planting sites. “Women have been able to learn tree nursery management, which helps them to earn a living.” says Elda. “We also trained them to graft mangoes and now people are coming to them to be trained too,” added Margret. “Which also helps them to earn a living.”

Kitchen gardens are climate-smart, gardens which grow vegetables, fruits and herbs in small spaces, improving food security, nutrition and creating income. Thanks to training and starter kits, kitchen gardens are feeding families. “Children used to suffer from several diseases because of lack of nutrition,” says Margret. “But now it’s no longer a big problem. Though we still need more support to establish more kitchen gardens in the community because not everyone was able to get them.”

In Kasika village, Eunice put her kitchen garden training into action and started growing aubergines, onions, tomatoes and cabbages. “She was able to harvest vegetables and sold them in the market, earning 150,000 shillings,” says Annet. “This income helped her to pay fees for her children. And also buy other seeds.”

‘Community members are still in need’

Already, AWEI’s work has transformed lives — but there are still so many families “knocking on our office door looking for support,” Margret tells us.

“I appreciate all the support you have given us. Without it, we could not have managed to implement all the activities that we have. But we need more support because we cannot manage to reach all the community members that are still in need.”

This Christmas, we want to raise £40,000 to restore forests and transform lives through the power of trees. Your gift of £40 could help Margret and the women of AWEI grow and plant 20 trees, restoring nature and giving women a way to earn a living. Please, will you give this Christmas and help plant trees and grow futures?

Double your donation

For one week only, your gift will be doubled thanks to the Big Give! That’s twice the trees and twice the impact for our planet and the communities we work with. Simply donate on our campaign page between 2nd-9th December 2025.