Deforestation is reaching devastating levels in Malawi and flooding is increasingly common, destructive and deadly. Malawi needs to protect the trees it has, and plant many more new ones. And we have been helping do just that, since 2014 we have planted over 7 million trees, plus undertaken forest conservation work.
One project saw us partner with TMN, a mobile and ICT service provider in Malawi. TMN has decided to make a meaningful contribution to the environment. By working together, we were able to plant 15,000 trees in the Dedza district, giving a strong focus on tree survival as well as planting.
Jonathon Paul, 23, father of two, chairman of Chitowo Village Natural Resource Management Committee, give his opinion…
“The scarcity of rainfall and soil erosion is impacting our yields and causing food insecurity, which is the main challenge we face in the area.
Since working with UP, every member of my village has planted two trees so far and with the trees planted by the committee, we have planted 30,000 trees. At every opportunity, I share messages and raise awareness of the importance of tree planting and maintenance. My village has become very involved in tree planting and are proud of our achievements.”
United Purpose Malawi Country Director, Kate Hartley-Louis: “deforestation is one of Malawi’s biggest challenges. We know tree planting and forest protection are key to keeping Malawian’s safe from flooding and we’re proud to playing our part in tackling this grave issue”.
CONTEXT: United Purpose has worked in Malawi since 1988 and initially supported refugees from the Mozambican civil war and their hosts in the Dedza area. Today we are one of Malawi’s largest NGOs, working in partnership with local government and communities across 17 districts mainly in central and southern Malawi, supporting over 30 on-going projects, with a total staff of over 200. Over the years we have developed a trusted reputation with most of the established institutional and noninstitutional donors and organisations in the country. We work in partnership with others to support a range of livelihoods and food security, health, sustainable energy and gender equality programmes reaching over 1,000,000 people a year across Malawi.