With GCI you can support local communities in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya.
Through our tree planting programme you can help:

• Offset CO₂ emissions*.
• Reduce poverty.
• Provide wildlife habitats.
• Create a brighter future for project team members including orphans and people living with HIV / AIDS.

*The official carbon offsetting is achieved through the retirement of credits from a Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) project. See the explanation of Tree Buddying below for more details.

Plant a Tree – Protect a Tree

For every tree that you pledge, a tonne of carbon will also be saved in the Brazilian Amazon via our VCS avoided deforestation programme. In this way, you will be offsetting carbon, planting and protecting forests and biodiversity in 2 continents.

The Challenge

The Kikuyu escarpment forest with its great mixture of both large and small wildlife animals, birds and butterflies, has been the beautiful gateway to the Great Rift Valley until degradation trend struck. This environment is the source of water and thus livelihood to the neighbouring communities.

In just a few years, wanton and deliberate destruction of the escarpment environment through charcoal burning, logging for timber and fuel wood, ring-debarking of medicinal trees and overgrazing has resulted to virtual depletion of forest vegetation cover. This has in return resulted to drying of springs/rivers/streams, soil erosion, emigration of wildlife/birds, scorching sun, human-wildlife conflict and the scarring of once a beautiful scenic landscape that generated some income through tourism.

The worst result from this environmental destruction was the ethnic clashes witnessed recently between the pastoral Maasai and the farming Kikuyu over use of the dwindling water resources at the base of the escarpment. This resulted in unnecessary deaths, injuries, loss and destruction of property and displacement of many families.

The communities have due to the negative climatic changes become even more dependent on the forest for their livelihoods. The women and girls move longer distances in search of fuel wood and water, exposing them to danger of attacks and sexual assaults. The Maasai have to bring their cattle to graze in the forest. With the loss of flora and fauna, the tourism income is dwindled, bringing the curio business down with it.

This project aims to plant 100,000’s of indigenous trees on the worst degraded areas.

Additional Benefits through your tree pledge in addition to Offsetting Carbon emissions

• Poverty reduction through employment creation.
• Water catchment areas will be conserved providing water/food security.
• Birds, butterflies and other wildlife habitats will be conserved and others created.
• Beautification of our locality and the roads.
• The trees also assist in the prevention and control of soil erosion.
• Some of our teams have orphans and Persons Living With HIV/Aids (PLWHA).
• The pastoral communities will have pastures for their animals during drought times.
• Ecotourism will be promoted with better forests giving alternative occupation to those previously engaging in destructive forest activities.
• Nutritional Benefit from some of the fruit trees planted like the Avocado trees which are of great nutritional value.
• Sale of fruit will help the community earn extra income.
• Bees attracted by the trees in flowering seasons will benefit the community through sale of honey hence reduce poverty.