Fast Forward: 25,000 Trees Go to their “Forever Homes”
Remember Esther and her fruiting tree nursery? The last time we blogged about Esther was back in September when her seedlings were off to a great start.
Now we are thrilled to provide a project update to share the meaningful impact it is having in Esther’s community in the village of Pangani, Tanzania.
Real Impact, Right Now
Our local partner, the Friends of Usambara Society (FoU), just visited Esther and saw firsthand the literal fruits of our labor. They were there to distribute the 25,000 cashew, avocado,and mango trees and to train the families, schools, and community members who got them to properly plant and care for them:
- 15,000 trees were given to 150 families. Each family received 100 trees that will boost food security and future income.
- 8,000 trees were given to community leaders to plant on communal village land to support environmental restoration, shade, and soil protection.
- 2,000 trees went to schools—creating living classrooms and future harvests
Why It Matters
These trees will soon be delivering multiple benefits:
- 🍎 Nutrition: Fresh fruit and nuts for families
- 💰 Income: New revenue from harvests
- 🌍 Restoration: Healthier soils and biodiversity
- 🌦 Climate impact: Carbon storage and cooler local environments
But our primary goal has always been to stop the deforestation of the nearby mangroves which villagers have been using for lumber. In order to get the trees, people had to publicly ‘promise’ not to stress the mangroves. We expect them to keep their promise since our fruiting trees offer them greater financial benefits than the mangroves do, making it a win-win for the people and the planet. This is the power of tropical reforestation—where trees grow year-round and deliver some of the highest economic benefits on Earth.
Demand Is Growing
The strongest sign of success? The community is asking for more.
Families, schools, and village leaders are ready to plant additional trees and expand the impact. The Esther Nursery has proven that a local, community-led model works—and can scale.
Help Us Grow
We are well underway growing the next batch of 25,000 trees to give away. But what we really need most right now is to support more Esthers – people who have the desire, the community connections, and the land to replicate Esther’s nursery.
With continued support, we can:
- Expand nursery production
- Reach more families
- Restore more land
- Strengthen livelihoods across the region
Every tree planted is a step toward a more stable climate and stronger communities. Please visit our Linktree to see the different ways that you can participate.