GlobalGiving Climate Action Fund

2020 has been a year like no other. But in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and severe natural disasters, we find hope in the unstoppable champions of our Climate Action Fund. No matter the obstacles, these local leaders continue to protect our planet, uplift their communities, and change lives. 

But don’t take it from us—take it from Lekita. 

Lekita lives in a small village called Nengerpus in Samburu, Kenya, with his wife, their five boys, his mother, and his brother’s family. In his youth, Lekita earned his living as a herder and did not have the opportunity to go to school. Nonetheless, he was able to make a modest living by opening a small restaurant and farming beans and corn.  

When Climate Action Fund cohort leader Sadhana Forest Kenya arrived in the area in 2014, volunteers brought business to his restaurant, and Lekita was able to expand. Lekita’s wife took over the restaurant, and Lekita began working alongside volunteers and community members to cultivate regenerative food forests. 

When COVID-19 hit, travel restrictions meant that Sadhana Forest Kenya had fewer volunteer staff to plant trees—despite the fact that economic shutdowns made this sustainable nutrition all the more vital. It was local leaders like Lekita who made it possible for Sadhana Forest to continue supporting the community—and curbing climate change from the ground up. 

Today, Lekita continues working alongside other members of Sadhana Forest to support families and individuals across Samburu, equipping them with long-term food sources that will sustain them through this and future challenges. Lekita’s home is now one of many surrounded by trees that provide protection from the elements, and he is better able to care for his family and plan for the future. In spite of the challenges faced this year, Lekita is full of gratitude and hope—and determination that efforts to protect our planet continue, no matter what it takes. When asked what message he would like to spread in this report, Lekita said:

“If I could say one thing to everyone reading this, it would be to respect the trees!  Wherever you are, plant trees!”

Thanks to your generosity and the perseverance of the innovative leaders of the Climate Action Fund, Lekita’s story of transformation and hope is only one of many. With your support, community-led nonprofits like Sadhana Forest Kenya can continue tackling global climate change from the ground up for months and years to come. Now, you heard Lekita—it’s time to get out there and plant a tree! 

With gratitude, 

Nicole + the GlobalGiving Team

Wow—a lot has changed in the few months since we introduced you to the new Climate Action Fund Leaders. The COVID-19 pandemic has made life strange for all of us and presented new challenges for the inspiring organizations that work in their communities to conserve our planet's resources and fight climate change. Despite this, our nonprofit partners are finding unique ways to continue their missions. Take a look:

Amid the pandemic and sweeping racial justice movements, Camino Verde believes diversity is the key to fostering happy, healthy ecosystems. 

It extends that same outlook to its work cultivating and conserving trees by always planting multiple species. For every rosewood tree that is planted, three keystone trees are planted. 

• “Resilience means you don’t put all your eggs in your own basket. Resilience means you know you’re stronger when you’re aligned with the complete scope of diversity that your ecosystem desires.”

Despite many losses in Instituto Chaikuni’s jungle region and the city of Iquitos, staff members brought a sustainable farm to life. 

A challenged health care system and infrastructure combined with a lack of first responders, medicine, and oxygen led to the loss of many lives. 

Though the lockdown did stop the organization from continuing much of its work, the team was lucky enough to have two staff members that live nearby its permaculture center available to continue tending to the agrofloresta, which is a diverse system of climate-friendly sustainable farming. While everyone stayed inside, nature quietly got to work.

• “In just a bit over three months, our agrofloresta plot went from barren earth to a lush emerging green, already gifting us with its first product—a local species of beans.”

In the face of travel restrictions and dwindling volunteers, Sadhana Forest Kenya has continued to plant seeds of change.

In the last few months, nonprofit leaders have been hard at work planting small food forest gardens at a number of its community members’ homes. The food forests include a variety of food-bearing trees and crops such as beans, pumpkins, potatoes, tomatoes, and more! Even better is that each garden incorporates important water conservation structures, such as catchment ponds that capture rainfall and excess water.  

• “The homes chosen for this project are families who have previously received SFK trees and took great care of them. We plan to continue mentoring these garden owners as well as help with watering throughout the dry season to give the food forests the best start possible. If they are successful, we will expand the current gardens and choose additional homes to create new ones.”

Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to sharing more stories from our Climate Action Fund leaders with you in the coming months.

With Gratitude,

Dani + the GlobalGiving Team

Stay up-to-date with the work and progress of all this year’s Climate Action Fund leaders by seeing their most recent project reports:

• Camino Verde | 1000 trees a year 1000 acres of rainforest forever
• Instituto Chaikuni | Ayni, Regenerative Food Forest in the Amazon
• Iracambi | Planting trees to save the planet!
• Obrobibini Peace Complex | Sustainability training for marginalized Ghanaians
• Sadhana Forest Kenya | Long-Term Food Security for 4000 Samburus in Kenya