Trees for Peace

Beautifying our planet a commitment for All-Planting of 20 hectares of Degraded Land 

First of we want to thank our GlobalGiving Partners for partnering with us to make our planet more beautiful. With the support of our GlobalGiving partners, our tree planting contributes to beautifying our planet and provides essential environmental benefits, such as combating climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, improving air quality, preventing soil erosion. This partnership also provides habitats for wildlife, increases property value, offers shade, and enhances our overall well-being. In addition, we can create jobs for the local. With your continuous generous donations and support in the month of June to September 2025, we planted 22,220 forest trees in 20 hectares of degraded land in the area BC 15/1 Ehor Forest Reserve, Edo State, Nigeria-Africa. This was great as it’s one of the steps in making our planet safer for our children and future generations.

Beat-up or Enrichment planting done in 40.54 hectares. 

The "Beat-up” operation or “enrichment planting” is the practice of replacing dead or failed planted trees in a newly planted area with new ones to ensure a successful stand. This is often a year or two after the initial planting and also includes checking and repairing tree guards and canes. In the reporting months we replaced all the failed planted trees planted in June 2025 and others planted in 2024 and 2025. Over 12,000 baby trees from the 42,000 baby trees raised in 2025 were used for this operation. Again thanks for your donation that enabled us to pay for this operation.

Forest maintenance operation done in the reporting months-Trees planted in 2024 

The most expensive operation in keeping our planted tree safe is weeding in the 1st 5 years of their planting. The 20 hectares of degraded land planted in 2025 have been weeded three times in line with the approved maintenance policy of the One Million Trees for Peace Project. Before any weeding on a large scale is done, “ring-weeding” or “spot weeding” of the total planted areas are performed. Though this adds to operational cost, it ensures 99.5% safety for the newly planted baby trees. Our consistency in ensuring healthy growth of the planted trees, these operations (ring-weeding and general weeding) have been done three times and will repeated in November before the workers goes on Christmas holidays. Additionally, the trees planted in 2024, 2023 and 2022 were equally ring-weeded and weeded. The 66.5 hectares planted from 2010 to 2019 were constantly weeded too.

One Million Trees for Peace Project - The only sustainable Forest Restoration Project in South Nigeria

With the active support of our GlobalGiving Partners, The Bauknecht Foundation Germany and our Parent Body-Association Bernadette Strebel World Peace, with joy in our heart, we announce to our partners that the One Million Trees for Peace Project has been the only sustainable forest regeneration project in the South of Nigeria. Since the signing of the MOU with Edo state Government to Plant One Million Peace trees, your support and partnership have enabled us to regenerate 125.54 hectares of degraded land to forest. Animals like the Africa White Trotted Monkeys, deer, bush pigs, different species of birds and other beautiful creatures are back to their once lost habitat caused by man. Your continuous support and partnership make this possible and we are grateful to you all.

Empowering Less Privileged in the Africa society- Our Working Team 

One of the major focuses of the President and Founder of the One Million Trees for Peace Project, Bernadette Strebel is empowering the less Privileged in African Rural Societies. With the planting of additional 20 hectares of degraded land in 2025, weeding and caring of areas planted with forest trees in past years, more workers were gainfully employed and by extension more of these persons were able to send their children to school. In line with the presidential vision, these local workers are encouraged to give their children formal education, buy schoolbooks, pay their school fees from wages paid to them. As your support and continuous donation in bringing back more degraded land to forest, it is also enabling more children to go to school, forest trees are planted past years are maintained, natural habitat spaced for wildlife animals are increased and the livelihood of the less privileged gainfully employed are improved. This wouldn’t be possible without your support. So Thank you!!

Payment of all workers wages from January-October 2025 

As a non-governmental organization that relies on support and donations from kindhearted individuals, we are happy to inform you that we paid all forestry workers wages from January to October 2025. This is a very big motivation for the forestry workers and without your donation, this wouldn’t be possible. We are still unable to pay for 26’845 of 42’000 seedlings raised in 2025, which are now ready for planting. Therefore, we kindly ask for your support to be able to pay 8’289 USD (equal to 7106 Euros) and 1’800 USD (1’544 Euros), which are expenses other than wages and related to the 2025 planting flag-off.

Greater Projects NEED GREATER Support 

While we thank you and are deeply grateful for your past support, the One Million Trees for Peace Project needs greater support to succeed in its goal of restoring degraded lands, bringing back our forest, empowering the less Privileged in African rural areas, creating a safe home for forest animals and free from illegal pouching, (as our forest areas are protected by law). Your support by way of donations or long-term funding from individuals, corporate organizations are needed as it will support us to pay forest-workers’ wages in planting more trees, maintaining existing planted forest trees, forest conservation and restoration, empowering local communities and Indigenous people, thereby cubing illegal immigration to Western developed nations, like the USA and Europe through the sea and other illegal means. Your support by way of donations and partnership is welcome. Thanks, and God bless you all as we continue to sustain and beautify our planet earth.

Yours Sincerely,

Dr Festus Onogholo

Project manager Nigeria