Healing the Desert with Trees!

Darfur is in the Sahel region of Africa which is particularly vulnerable to climate change and according to the UN, the temperature in this region is expected to rise by between 3⁰C and 5⁰C. These warmer temperatures lead to a degradation of the land and an increase in desertification resulting in the desert encroaching into agricultural land. Climate change also impacts the length and timings of seasons, therefore, having a negative effect on crop growth, leading to food insecurity in the area.

The people here bear the brunt of the whole planet’s carbon emissions.

However, a big part of Kids for Kids’ range of sustainable projects that improve the lives of children in Darfur, Sudan, is our climate change project.

One of the easiest and simplest ways to prevent desertification and land degradation is to stabilise the soil. Planting trees and plants increases the soil moisture in the area, stabilises the soil.  It has also been scientifically proven that planting trees helps to form a microclimate in the immediate vicinity of the trees by reducing the air temperature. Lowering the temperature of the soil means that more moisture remains within the ground creating a better and more fertile environment for growing crops, the basis of people’s income and diet in the villages of Darfur.

The people here are subsistence farmers meaning that caring for the land is of paramount importance as they eat what they grow.

We want to create a community forest in each of the Kids for Kids villages to counteract the effects of climate change. We will purchase and grow seedlings of various trees that are native and drought-resistant with many of the species providing shade and fruit or other bi-products that the communities can use to earn an income, such as oil from the Neem tree, the leaves, fruit and seeds from the Baobab and the seeds of the Moringa tree can be used to filter water!

Because many smallholder, rural farmers depend on subsistence for their livelihoods we believe that focusing on alleviating the effects of climate change, environmental degradation, and desert encroachment protects these farmers and their communities from current and future vulnerabilities.

A community forest is just the start of our work on tackling the effects of climate in the area – we want to teach children the importance of the forests, so they grow up to nurture the wildlife and help it grow and expand. This will be the legacy of Kids for Kids and we hope that the children of the future will continue in the guardianship of the trees in their community.

Will you help us in our mission to Heal the Desert with Trees?

Next week from the 19th to the 23rd April, we are participating in Global Giving’s Climate Action Campaign where all donation up to £70 will be matched by 100%!

Or you can donate directly to our climate change projects here: https://www.kidsforkids.org.uk/product/trees-for-climate-change/