2022–23 Report: Zeitz Foundation

2022 donation: $100,000
Donations to date: $300,000

Our donations allowed the Zeitz Foundation (ZF) to continue implementing its Tree of Life Reforestation Initiative in Laikipia, Kenya, combining women's education and vocational training with reforestation, conservation, and bio-diversity. In so doing, ZF offers women an opportunity for independent incomes and financial freedom while regenerating the landscape (with a goal of reforesting over 3 million acacia trees), enhancing soil stabilization and fertility, recapturing water, and ensuring the survival of a bio-diverse ecosystem. This initiative follows ZF's sustainable "4C" approach by combining conservation, community, culture, and commerce — a philosophy shared globally through The Long Run network.

Since our partnership started, ZF has had outstanding results — despite COVID restrictions and an ongoing drought slowing down the planting of trees and delaying the launch of their Vocational Training Academy for Forestry and Permaculture. In the past three years, they created a nursery, sourced, germinated and planted over 400,000 acacia seedlings, built over 24km of fencing to protect the new forest area, purchased a water truck to enable manual watering during drought conditions, sunk a borehole to create new water access, and installed a solar pump, panels, storage tanks, and other plumbing works to generate up to 40,000 liters of water a day for the land, wildlife, and newly established nursery.

This work is vital, as over the last decade, Kenya has lost much of its forested land. The effect of this deforestation contributes directly to climate change, degrades the land, and affects not only the bio-diversity of plant and animal life but also the well-being of the communities who rely on the land. It's a vicious cycle resulting in more hunger, more destructive agricultural activities (like the expansion of cattle farming), and less stability.

Over the next year, ZF expects to start construction of a 50-acre water dam to ensure water security in the area (as the prerequisite environmental surveys and licensing are completed), initiate construction of a new 4C Learning Centre, and develop an expanded curriculum for vocational training to attract and educate the next generation of sustainability champions.

2021 donation: $100,000
Donations to date: $200,000

Our donations allowed the Zeitz Foundation (ZF) to continue implementing its Tree of Life Reforestation Initiative in Laikipia, Kenya. Since the program started, ZF has sourced, germinated, and planted over 250,000 acacia seedlings; built a tree nursery; drilled a borehole for irrigation; and installed a solar pump and other plumbing works to generate up to 40,000 liters of water a day for the land, wildlife, and reforestation effort. They also developed the curriculum for a permaculture-focused vocational training program for women and the founder, Jochen Zeitz, co-produced a movie entitled: Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet on Netflix.

ZF's Tree of Life initiative combines women's education and vocational training objectives with reforestation, conservation, and biodiversity. In so doing, ZF offers women an opportunity for independent incomes and financial freedom while reforesting over 1,000,000 acacia trees — regenerating the landscape, enhancing soil stabilization and fertility, recapturing water, and ensuring the survival of a biodiverse ecosystem. And thanks to this program, over 55 members of the local villages were trained in reforesting techniques and are integral to the planting program.

To ZF, this is essential. Kenya has lost much of its forested land over the last decade. The effect of this deforestation contributes directly to climate change, affecting not only the biodiversity of plant and animal life but also the well-being of the communities who rely on the land. It's a vicious cycle resulting in more hunger, increased land degradation, more destructive agricultural activities (like the expansion of cattle farming), and less stability.

Now, ZF plans to build a 50-acre water dam that will ensure water security in the area, germinate another 50,000 trees for planting in spring 2022, support their All-Women Anti-Poaching Rangers (who protect the lands from illegal encroachment as well as from poachers), and launch their new Vocational Training Academy for Forestry and Permaculture.

Donation: $100,000

Our donation allowed the Zeitz Foundation (ZF) to implement its Tree of Life Initiative in Laikipia, Kenya. Since the program started, ZF has built a tree nursery, drilled a borehole for irrigation, germinated and planted 250,000 seedlings, prepared an additional 150,000 seedlings for planting, and developed an arborist vocational training program for women.

The Tree of Life initiative combines ZF’s women's education and vocational training objectives with their reforestation, conservation, and biodiversity efforts. In so doing, ZF offers women an opportunity for independent incomes and financial freedom while ultimately reforesting over 1,000,000 acacia trees (starting with 250,000 by 2021) — regenerating the landscape, enhancing soil stabilization and fertility, recapturing water, and ensuring the survival of a biodiverse ecosystem.

Since ZF received our funding in 2019, they created a nursery, sourced 100,000 high-quality seedlings from the Kenya Forestry Research Institute, and prepared a rhino-shaped area for planting in a 50,000-acre wildlife refuge in the heart of Laikipia, Kenya. Earlier this spring, 55 members of the local villages were trained in planting techniques and — with help from ZF’s All Women Anti-Poaching Rangers — had all 100,000 trees planted by the end of May.

Since then, ZF has created new water access, prepared a seedbed nursey, germinated an additional 150,000 acacia seedlings, and — with the help of 17 local women — started its second phase of planting. Over the next few months, they will fit the borehole with a solar pump, panels, and other plumbing works to start generating up to 40,000 liters of water a day. 

Because of COVID-19, ZF delayed the launch of their Vocational Training Academy for Forestry and Permaculture until January 2021, but they continue to develop the curriculum. Once they can open safely, ZF will hold multiple one-week courses for 20 local trainees at a time.