Tree Seedlings $10

How this gift is green:

In the war-torn region of Darfur, in western Sudan, tree planting programs are helping regenerate the environment around camps for internally-displaced people, providing much needed shade and relief from the heat. In the future, they'll provide firewood too. Fruit trees are improving nutrition and providing fresh additions to the dry emergency relief rations. Though these camps are not permanent homes for their residents, those in the camps and the host communities are continuing to invest in their land, planting vegetable gardens and trees, helping make the most of their situation.

These trees are not carbon sinks to offset over-consuming lifestyles. They are sustainable resources for vulnerable people, working to improve health and build community in traumatic conditions.

More information and images (pdf)

TEAR Australia supports development projects which focus on the poorest and most marginalised people and give priority to their rights, interests and initiatives. These projects are implemented in partnership with local agencies. One of the agencies organising tree planting is Tearfund UK, in Darfur, Sudan.

TEARFUND UK, DARFUR, SUDAN

A dusty, arid landscape surrounds hundreds of thousands of internally-displaced people living in the camps of Darfur in western Sudan. The few trees that survive are a valuable resource for building and firewood, but also bring relief from the baking sun and provide important places for meetings.

Tearfund UK works with communities in the Wadi Salih area of western Darfur who have gathered for common security, away from their own land and traditional livelihoods. Surrounding the camps are smaller camps of nomadic people who wander the land with their families, camels and livestock. Both the host and the camp communities face the threat of violence from warring factions, and the pressing need for water, food and livelihood options in the region.

Tearfund UK's project works with these communities to develop food security and basic health and sanitation for around 32,000 women and children. Through hundreds of health clubs, clean water for thousands of households through hand pumps and wells, distribution of seeds and farming tools and by encouraging the formation of Village Development Committees, they are building development initiatives in Darfur.

In Amar Jadid, people are grateful for Tearfund UK's work and the changes it has brought. As a result of the health education, the village is now clean and people have built latrines and are using them. There is now a school for the village children, and seeds, tools, donkey-ploughs and new ideas for farming. A tree and plant nursery is preparing seedlings for distribution. In greenhouses, protected from the sun and carefully watered, the small plants thrive under the care of Habeeb, an agriculturalist working with the project.

The trees, when they grow, will bring shade and relief from the heat, a supply of fruit for consumption and as a cash crop, and a sustainable supply of wood for cooking and construction. This will help preserve the remaining forests from overuse and prevent desertification. For Habeeb and his team, and for the diverse community they work with, the trees are a symbol of new life and a growing hope in the community.

OTHER TEAR AUSTRALIA PARTNERS PROVIDING THIS ITEM:

ORA (Afghanistan), Ukuru APDC (Uganda), Symbiosis (Bangladesh), Champa (India), MGVS (India), ACK CCS Nakuru (Kenya), ACT Morogoro (Tanzania), BRAC (Tanzania).