In a recent visit to Kenya, German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, met with Help Self Help Centre, an NGO managing an IKI Small Grants funded reforestation project active in the Mount Kenya region. NGO representative, Lucy Muiruri, explained to the German minister how essential oils can help revitalize degraded land. With a budget of less than 90,000 euros, the organisation planted more than 150,000 indigenous trees through the IKI Small Grants project to restore the habitat for wildlife and trained over 1,300 members of the community in reforestation.
Forests act as natural carbon sinks that benefit the climate. The project creates an incentive not to cut down trees for firewood, as the local community is shown how tree parts can be used to make products. The planted trees produce essential oils, tea-like leaves or dyes for the paint industry and therefore serve as an additional source of income for the local population.
The project by the organisation HelpSelfHelp Centre serves as a model for integrating community involvement in forest restoration efforts. It highlights the significant role of local communities in achieving sustainable outcomes. The approaches and lessons learnt are shared with other reforestation initiatives in Kenya.
With international support and local participation, projects like these can pave the way for sustainable environmental and economic development. Minister Habeck emphasized the importance of such projects in addressing the dual challenges of poverty and climate change.
Project impact
As the first funded project has been very successful, Help Self Help Centre has now received a second round of funding from IKI Small Grants. The team will extend its reforestation activities with the new funding.
Minister Habeck’s visit concluded with a pledge to continue fostering partnerships and supporting similar initiatives to ensure that reforestation efforts not only restore ecosystems, but also improve the livelihoods of local communities.
Links:
Community-driven regeneration of native forests at Mount Kenya | IKI Small Grants
Community driven regeneration of native forests in Kenya | PANORAMA
Help Self Help Centre (HSHC) – Ending poverty and environmental degradation
About the organisation
Help Self Help Centre is a Kenyan development agency, registered in 1993. Its mission is to work with smallholder farmers and the food and chemical industries to eradicate poverty and environmental degradation through sustainable management of natural resources. The organisation replants native trees that have a commercial value for local people. With this the organisation wants to protect and recreate original natural forests that address the habitat requirements of local wildlife. It further aims to plant commercial relevant tree species and ensure that communities protect those trees.
About IKI Small Grants
IKI Small Grants, implemented by the German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), funds local actors which are the driving force for change and essential for effective climate and biodiversity action worldwide. It is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI), which is jointly commissioned by three German Federal ministries. IKI Small Grants fosters bottom-up solutions while strengthening capacities of local actors.