Environmental degradation has a human toll
“I want to stop people from being climate refugees.”
– Tabi Joda
One Billion Trees for Africa sees the interconnected nature of the human and climate crisis. Our programs employ people in rural areas, providing jobs and access to the ecosystem services opportunities agroforestry practices provide.
Pilot projects have recruited close to 100 employees, and the organization envisions recruiting even more youth and women from the community to produce an entire range of value-added plant-based products emerging from the forest, from skin care products derived from avocado, kennel and castor oils, as well as supplements such as moringa powder.
Among the native trees planted and grown are Cola nitida, Afrostyrax lepidophyllus (country onion), garcinia cola or bitter cola and over 50 more species. When the trees start to yield fruits and other medicinal products, they immediately create new economic opportunities for young people and women across these communities.
In just our founding project, 5 women and 14 young people started harvesting and processing different products for income. 9 young people who had migrated to urban towns including 6 would be migrants from Libya after failed attempt to migrate to Europe returned to the community and found self-employment in the value chain of either producing, processing or selling natural resources. Our project is now a huge solution to reduce irregular migration and unemployment
This original success proved the model, and One Billion Trees has since continued to seek out areas for expansion, developing innovative and community-based ways in the Great Green Wall to provide gainful employment for those that would otherwise be forced to leave.