Planting Trees for a Better Future in Africa
This story is from Planet Women’s interactive 2022 Annual Report.
A woman plants tree saplings in Rwanda in partnership with One Tree Planted. © One Tree Planted.
In July 2022, Planet Women launched the Center for Gender, Equity and the Environment (CGEE) in Africa. The goal of the CGEE is to provide grassroots environmental groups with resources and technical support to advance their missions. We aim to bring together a community of diverse leaders protecting forest, water and biodiversity health. And, to provide the space and resources for them to support each other and increase gender equity and social justice.
Currently, the CGEE is focused on resourcing groups working on the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative—also known as AFR100. AFR100 is an African-led initiative that aims to restore 100 million hectares of land in Africa by 2030. Thirty-two African countries have committed to participating along with public and private sector partners, international development programs and local communities. This enormous effort has already mobilized over a billion dollars in commitments to restore forests, mangroves, wetlands and grasslands.
This is an important opportunity to increase the diversity of voices that are represented in landscape restoration and ensure that women are included at every level. How, why and where people interact with trees and forests differ across genders, communities and regions, so it is essential to have a broad diversity of leaders designing and implementing AFR100.
Thank you to our Partners
Planet Women is grateful to be launching the CGEE in partnership with One Tree Planted, a global reforestation organization that is helping implement AFR100. We could not have brought this dream to fruition without seed funding from a generous philanthropist and collaboration from World Resources Institute and TerraFund—and of course, our friends at One Tree Planted!
© One Tree Planted.
What does the Center for Gender, Equity and the Environment in Africa do?
Through the CGEE, Planet Women will provide a suite of services tailored to the needs of organizations conducting forest restoration in Africa. The CGEE’s initial offerings will serve women-led reforestation groups and groups that have a significant focus on engaging women in their forestry work. Right now, we are looking at about 35 organizations that are working on AFR100 and are in One Tree Planted’s roster of trusted planting partners.
In 2022, the CGEE and One Tree Planted surveyed more than 60 planting organizations working on AFR100 to understand their needs. Their responses indicated three priority areas for CGEE to focus on: 1) mentorship and networking for women; 2) strengthening women’s leadership and management skills; 3) adopting gender equity practices.
How Planet Women is Supporting Reforestation Organizations
Planet Women is leveraging our resources, networks and the expertise of our team and the team at One Tree Planted to offer leadership courses and skill-building workshops to the reforestation organizations, including:
● Women’s leadership training. Workshops and mentorship opportunities to support women in reaching their career goals.
● Incorporating gender equity into organizational structure and field projects. Help increase women’s voices and priorities in project design and implementation, as well as mitigate any conflict or safety risks for women.
● Fundraising and communications support. Many groups have requested workshops on fundraising, grant reporting, communications, and marketing to help them amplify their story and raise more money.
● Micro-grants. Provide seed funding for women to launch new micro-enterprises, continue their education, host community events, or travel to conferences or courses. In the first year, $50,000 in micro-grants will be given out. Between 25 to 50 women will receive grants of $500-$3,000.
What’s next?
In December 2022, we held our first virtual gathering for the reforestation organizations that will be participating in programs through the CGEE. And we aim to distribute the first wave of micro-grants in the in Spring 2023.