Esonge
Current donation: NA
Donations to date: $50,000
Esonge works with the women of Dioula Village to implement long-term, sustainable climate solutions in the Lobéké Forest region in southeastern Cameroon (aka the Congo River Basin). Our donations allowed Esonge to embark on a three-year plan to improve the livelihoods of 137 households (1,500 villagers) by helping them regain stewardship of the rainforest, reforest the clear-cut areas, transition to climate-smart cocoa, and strengthen their access to health care.
Why They're Climate Smart
The Congo River Basin's massive ecosystem holds an estimated 30 billion tons of carbon — roughly four years of global carbon output — and is one of Earth's last remaining forested lungs. But deforestation and climate change have significantly reduced its capacity for carbon sequestration and destabilized its ability to buffer tropical Africa against increasing temperatures and disruptions in seasonal rainfall.
Esonge intends to restore the balance by helping the villagers regain stewardship of the forest and its embedded gardens from the government — giving them the legal right to prevent further industrial deforestation while re-establishing their cultural ties to the land. Then, as the project progresses, the villagers will reforest the degraded areas, transform their already established cocoa gardens into climate-smart operations (using the now-stable forest canopy), build a health clinic with the income they earn, and rebuild the carbon sponge.
Why They Get Our Continued Support
Our donation in 2023 was intended to fund three years of Esonge's work. As a result, they have passed on additional funding this year and are continuing their work as planned.