Restoring forests in Malawi with the Big Give

From the 22^nd to 29^th April for one week only you can DOUBLE your donation.

Temwa is aiming to raise £10,000 to combat deforestation and the worst impacts of climate change with the Big Give Green Match Fund. Malawi has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world and Nkhata Bay North has lost over 20% of local forests in just 20 years.

Poverty is one of the main forces behind this, with 58% of community members living below the national poverty line.

Why donate?

To make a little money, people resort to tree cutting to sell for firewood or charcoal, or to clear more land for planting crops. This creates a negative cycle where communities depend on their local natural resources for survival – but poverty traps them into using resources unsustainably.

We urgently need to halt and reverse this high rate of deforestation in Nkhata Bay. But tree planting will only work if the causes of deforestation, i.e. poverty are addressed.

This is where Temwa can help. We have a long experience of successful community-driven agriculture and forestry work in the region. With the funds raised we want to reforest the local landscape while tackling poverty in these remote communities.

James Chilenga, a Temwa beneficiary tells us how tree planting helps mitigate climate change in his community.

“We can restore the environment by restoring our land”
James Chilenga is an active citizen from Munkhoza. His community enforces bylaws to restore ecologically important areas such as Choma Hill. James remembers that this hill used to provide water all year round, and its fertile farmlands and wetlands were perfect for growing a variety of crops like cassava, banana and maize. Now, his community is harvesting less and less every year. Diseases and pest attacks are more common and rivers are drying out.
“Last year bananas got diseased and the maize was terribly attacked by worms.”
James knows that the problems are due to climate change, unsustainable farming and local deforestation to produce charcoal. That is why he is passionate about changing this reality. He has set up a tree nursery for the coming planting season. By supporting his community to restore their land, he believes they will become more resilient.
Thanks to your support, people like James are inspiring their community, creating behavioural change and helping transform the landscape.

How will we do it?

We want to raise £10,000 with the help of the Big Green Match Fund to help strengthen local governance. And we want to create alternative livelihoods, where communities can see the value of forests and trees kept in the ground. To do this we will:

We will mobilise local communities to create interest in and commitment to tree planting.
We want to strengthen local stewardship of precious natural resources through training, exchange visits and advocacy opportunities for committees to review and enforce local forest bylaws.
And we will plant 20,000 trees to restore degraded land by marking out areas for reforestation and establish local nurseries with support.
Finally, we will help create forest-friendly livelihoods. Working with existing and new farmers engaged in activities such as beekeeping and growing crops.