GlobalGiving Climate Action Fund

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