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A report on what has been going on in 2023 & 2024

zombaforestlodge

TREEZ:

The Reforestation of the Environment and Ecosystem of Zomba

Registered in Malawi 14887

 

Report for

2023 & 2024


 

TREEZ Background

 

TREEZ (The Reforestation of the Environment and Ecosystem of Zomba) was set up by the owner/directors of Zomba Forest Lodge, as a small community charity, based on and around Zomba Plateau, Malawi. Since its inception, TREEZ has been working with local communities and the Forestry Department to help reforest and restore the water catchments areas of the south western slopes of Zomba Plateau Forest Reserve and has since expanded its aims to both preserve and protect forests, woodlands and water catchments, but increasingly, to help build resilience in the local communities and teach them more sustainable uses of the natural resources available.

 

CONTEXT:

 

Malawi has a mostly rural population and has lost 85% of its trees in the last 30 years. At current rates of population growth and deforestation, by 2030 it is estimated that there will no longer be enough biofuel to sustain the needs of the population. The reason being that over 90% of the population rely on wood or charcoal for domestic use (cooking/heating) and increasingly, for burning bricks for house building.

 

Uncontrolled bushfires in the dry season systematically prevent areas from naturally regenerating while impoverishing the soil, increasing soil erosion and threatening the water sources.

 

The lack of available fuelwood sources within the communities’ forces community members to walk great distances to provide enough wood for their domestic use. The excessive cutting of trees leads to mass deforestation which in turn leads to desertification as the soils are consistently degraded and the water sources depleted, which in turn increases poverty levels within the communities.

 

 OUR PROPOSED SOLUTION:

 

To reverse the negative fuelwood loop through community empowerment.

 

How? By providing an income in exchange for the protection of the trees rather than the timber that the trees provide.

 

Since 2016, TREEZ has partnered with local umbrella organisation Nankhunda Transformation which has attracted environmentally minded community members. Over the years these members have coalesced into community conservation groups. Simultaneously, sports teams and choirs have also joined. TREEZ sponsors these groups in return for conservation work and ecosystem services.

 

TREEZ is already involved with the restoration and protection of over 250 hectares of land around Zomba Forest Lodge. These conservation groups and sports teams are now responsible for over 100+ hectares of the southern slopes of Zomba Plateau.

 

The wider area has still not been formally granted to TREEZ but we continue to be hopeful that the government will grant this soon.

 

The area protected was formally a pine and eucalyptus plantation but after it was logged, TREEZ has been working on restoring indigenous habitats by encouraging natural regeneration and selective spot planting. The area is now home to a diverse number of trees including macaranga capensis, tremor orientalis, brachystegia, julbernardia, bersama, myrianthus, bridelia, syzygium, podocarpus etc. In turn, the increase in biodiversity has led to an increase in mammal species with civets, duiker and hyena being the most noticeable.

 

Amongst the natural regeneration are self-seeded pine and eucalyptus which have been allowed to grow. These are extracted by the local community for fuelwood purposes.

 

The TREEZ activities can be split into 2 main categories: Forest Restoration of the outer slopes of Zomba Plateau, and Climate Resilience within the community.

 


Our conservation teams:


Nankhunda Transformation:

On the Nankhunda side (The southwestern slopes), The following conservation groups have signed volunteer conservation agreements: Back to Jesus Choir, Bright Dreamers, Chigwandembo, Committee, Hyena Rocks, Maguba Salvation Singers, Mountain Club, Mountain Shielders, St Birgitta Choir, Umodzi Youth, ZFL as well as the Berries, Happy Hammers and Nankhunda United football and netball teams.




In 2023, TREEZ also contributed to the football and netball teams on the Domasi Valley side (northern side of the Plateau), as well as to the Kasonga and Chilasanje volunteer conservation groups for their work protecting their side of the Plateau.

 

The success of this system in the community has meant that we have a growing number of groups wanting to join. A conservation group in the Mlumbe locality,  a Local Community Police group and another group made up of local village headmen, all want to join – funds dependent.


Zomba Tour Guide Association (ZTGA):

The ZTGA comprises 14 members, all based on the Plateau and licensed tour guides. TREEZ has sponsored the Association for over 8 years, normally in the form of fertiliser for work. The idea is that in exchange for fertiliser and seed, the ZTGA carries out trail clearing, litter picking and the creation and maintenance of tree seedling nurseries on the Plateau.


This year, TREEZ decided to draw up volunteer conservation agreements which each conservation member is asked to sign and adhere to. These agreements will ensure that only active members benefit from sponsorship.

Historically, there have been members of groups who have shared in the money but not done the work. The agreements will enable accountability within the groups and are monitored by the group leaders and their Committee members.


FOREST RESTORTATION:

 

Three main activities are involved under the umbrella of Forest Restoration:

 

·      Fire prevention and preservation

·      Maintenance of trees and tree planting

·      Environmental awareness

 

Fire prevention and protection:

 

As part of each members’ agreements with TREEZ, annual fire prevention exercises are carried out by each of the groups to protect their designated areas. Each member is also responsible for assisting in the event of a fire. These activities centre around the clearing of firebreaks around each groups’ area.


Why is fire prevention so important?

During the dry season, villagers set fire to the debris in their fields to clear the land and prepare it for the next planting season. Cooking fires are also lit close to where people may be cutting wood, and occasionally, fires are lit on purpose to clear an area of bush and access the wood that lies within, or for hunting purposes to flush out the animals.

These fires are nation-wide and hugely detrimental to any reforestation efforts.

If fire prevention work is not carried out, the survival rates of any tree planting exercises are close to nil.

All these fires are man-made and preventable.

 

In our first year at Zomba Forest Lodge, there was a big fire at night. We called all our staff and their friends to come and help; and they did. To thank them for controlling the fire, we gave each of them a small amount of money.

The problem with this is that if we give very poor people money to put out a fire, it is likely that those same people might light a fire to be paid to put it out again. How can we get around this?

 

Our solution: Sports Sponsorship: Provide a local football team with an amount of money annually, for their team to draw on (to buy kit, medical equipment, transport for away games etc) and in exchange, the team will be responsible for creating firebreaks and have an obligation to come help with firefighting should there be a fire. The team members soon learned to spread awareness. They explained that if there was a fire, they would all need to go and help, so it would be better to be careful and avoid any uncontrolled fires.

 

The Result: The number of bushfires went down from 37 to 1 over three years as the teams spread the word about not lighting non-domestic fires.

 

 

In 2023, we suffered 1 fire that was lit in the Namitembo valley and was not spotted until relatively late due to it being on the other side of the ridge line. Sadly, due the high winds, it burned for 3 days but was eventually controlled. The area around Hyena Rocks burned and upwards towards the Enchanted Forest but due to our efforts it was stopped before it could reach there.

 

In 2024, a year with very low rainfall, and very poor harvests, there was 1 major fire, 2 big fires and multiple smaller fires. This included 2 that caused significant damage in the Hyena Rocks area and up towards the Enchanted Forest. One of these fires was especially large, partly due to TREEZ success in so far as there was more material to burn as the area had not burned for so long, and also as it was lit as a deliberate act of arson in multiple places.

 

Due to the extended dry season and very hot temperatures, we decided to pay an emergency response patrol team so that there was a team immediately on hand should there be a fire – a strategy that proved worthwhile as another 2 fires were spotted and controlled thanks to this team.

 

Overall, despite the increased number of fires, a record number of conservation group members came to help, and some working well into the night.

 

Lessons learned:

-       Early sightings of the fire and good communication with the conservation groups is key. Previously Tom/Petal took calls from the patrols but struggled with the language barrier. In 2024, the ZFL staff were in charge of the “lodge phone’ and so were able to take the calls from patrols and communicate more efficiently.

-       Need to cut the grasses much earlier in the season so that there is less to burn in case of a fire.

-       Backpack sprayers, normally used for spreading fertilizer, were very effective in helping to control fires when used to spray water on the grasses ahead of the flames.

-       Extra fire breaks need to be made to divide the slopes into sections, to slow/prevent a fire from crossing into another section. 

 

Maintenance of trees and tree planting:

 

In 2023, the tree counting took place in both February and November depending on when the groups had cleared their areas. In total, over 80,000 trees were counted within these conservation areas.

 

In February 2024, TREEZ decided to make an extra payment to the groups to compensate for the 44% devaluation of the local currency, the Malawi Kwacha.

 

The group members had previously been paid MK200 per tree and TREEZ decided to add another MK100 per tree. The payment came during what is locally known as the Hungry Season as family’s harvests of maize have run out and there is little food available to them until the next harvest.

 

During the rainy season, many of the groups topped up the number of trees in their area through the planting of seedlings grown in their own nurseries.

 

Around 300 Mulanje cedar seedlings were also planted by 3 groups and the seedlings are looking healthy.

 

In November 2024, the areas were counted again. However, due to a misunderstanding, many of the groups had counted trees in extended areas, and therefore counted a number of trees above what the TREEZ budget could afford.

 

As this time of year is when people are getting their fields ready for the next planting season and are in need to of fertilizer and seed, there was no time to recount, so we decided to add 15% to the number of trees previously counted.

 

It was also decided that we would pay MK200 per tree now, and top up in February, when once again they will need some money – thus making the tree counting payment one processed in 2 instalments.

 

For the first time in 2024, 4 Kasonga groups also received tree survival payments for the protection of over 40,000 trees on the northern side of the Plateau.

 

The areas protected include the People and President’s View, Chingwe’s Hole, Chagwa Peak and Williams’ Falls, all prominent tourism locations and home to indigenous trees.

The Kasonga side suffers from debilitating poverty levels due to their distance from town and the lack of any infrastructure in the Kasonga Valley, a valley separating Zomba Massif from Malosa Mountain.

 

Lessons learned:

-       Need to measure each conservation area and explain that this is a fixed area.

-       Need to pay the tree survival payments in installments to spread the money out as and when needed

-       To maximise survival rates and minimise risk of fires, clearing of conservation group areas should take place twice a year


The problem with tree planting:

First, tree seedlings need to be obtained. These can either be bought or home-grown. This takes time, effort and money.

The tree planting activity also necessitates payment for each stage of the process:

-        Clearing the area to be planted

-        Making the holes for the seedlings

-        Planting the seedlings

-        Maintaining the seedlings and preventing weeds and other plants from taking over.

This is not just costly, but also generates no sense of ownership or responsibility over the trees planted.

 

Our solution: Natural regeneration: Having protected certain areas from fire, we noticed that in these same areas, tree seedlings were growing naturally. This led us to carry out more fire prevention work. Quickly we realized that we needed to cut away the grasses and weeds to give the seedlings space to grow. However, to be fully successful this type of regeneration requires regular clearance of weeds. This requires much labour & community participation.

There is also the need for spot-planting to introduce and care for slow-growing indigenous species to create greater biodiversity in the new forests. TREEZ considers that there are two other elements necessary if this type of natural regeneration is to succeed in the African context.  One is that government authorities need to shift from a traditional timber-extractive approach to forestry to a policy which considers the long-term value of forests in terms of carbon capture potential, greater biodiversity [a tourism asset], and security of water supplies.  The other requirement is that local communities have stakeholder ‘ownership’ of the forest, to be developed for their benefit.

 

The Result: Conservation group sponsorship

The first photos show members of the Happy Hammers sports club clearing land in January 2020 and the same area in 2023.  Based on these photos and several other plots around Zomba Forest Lodge, TREEZ shows that natural regeneration is an excellent and badly needed strategy, especially in areas of mountainous terrain where extensive slopes have been cleared of trees. 

The second photos of the Maguba Salvation Choir conservation group area.

 

It is in the group’s main interest to look after their area and have as many trees as possible as each tree is worth money.




 

 



Environmental awareness:

 

Environmental awareness is key to environmental change.

 

As the group member numbers increase, so does the level of environmental awareness. This is especially the case with fire awareness. A significant factor was also Cyclone Freddy that tore through the southern region of Malawi in March 2023.

 

With over 600ml of rain in just a few days, there were several landslides, but all of these remained minor and caused no damage to the village infrastructure. This made many people realize the benefits of having trees on the slopes as these helped prevent the landslide from reaching the village. Also, those who had trees near their houses found that their houses suffered less structural damage than those which didn’t. Again, a case for planting trees in the community.

 

Environmental Awareness Concert:

To help spread environmental awareness TREEZ organises an annual concert. This serves as a Thank You to all who participate in TREEZ activities and helps spread awareness to those not involved. As well as a mainstream musical act (In 2023 Atoht Manje and in 2024 Gibo Pearson), TREEZ liaison officers, chiefs and other traditional leaders come on stage to deliver environmentally minded messages.



Bonanza Tournament:

Each end of year, a football/netball bonanza tournament is organised, also as a Thank You to the community. The games are supported by hundreds of people, all avid football and netball fans, perfect for spreading environmental awareness messages.



The Run4Reforestation:

As part of our Environmental Awareness campaign, each year we organise a running event called the Run4Reforestation. It is a multi-distance running event aimed at both raising awareness about the issues of deforestation, and raising money for TREEZ so that we can help tackle the problem.

 

In 2023, held on 9th September attracted 230 participants and even more spectators, and raised a net amount (after deducting costs of run) of $16,700

In 2024, it was held on 14th September and attracted 270 participants but only raised $4,100.

 

Both events were considered huge successes with a great turn-out with over 70% of the participants being Malawian. This is especially important as we hope that the more Malawians participate, the more they talk about the event, the more awareness it raises.

 

During the last 2 years, TREEZ decided that rather than spending huge amounts of time trying to find organisations to sponsor the Run, TREEZ would front the costs and pay itself back with the proceeds.

This worked very well in the first year, which is why we decided to do it the second time. The second time was much less successful.

 

Why the big difference in donations?

Simply because there are so many causes to support. Most of the money raised comes from TREEZ supporters abroad as the local participants are often already involved in other charitable organisations. And the supporters abroad often support multiple organisations too so might take turns with who they are donating to each year.

 

Malawi’s economy is struggling so obtaining sponsorship from local businesses and/or organisations is increasingly hard, especially when TREEZ is competing against much bigger NGOs.

 

The growing sense of unrest worldwide also has a huge impact on individual donations.

 

It is impossible to predict how much money each event will raise – we simply hope that the money raised is more than what the event has cost.



Educational Centre and volunteer house:

In 2024, TREEZ has also started negotiating for the purchase of a piece of land within the community. The land belongs to one of our main liaison officers’ family and is where the first kitchen garden demonstration plot is situated.

 

The land will be bought in the name of TREEZ and Nankhunda Transformation (the name of the umbrella conservation community group). The plan is to build an Educational Centre here, as well as a volunteer house.

 

George Watson College in Edinburgh, have very kindly allocated some funds for this to take place and we are excited for it to begin.

 

The idea is that the Educational Centre can host workshops and trainings for local community members. The volunteer house will provide accommodation to those with skills useful to the TREEZ team. As most of our liaison officers have little schooling between them and we do not want to source skilled workers from elsewhere, we will be looking for volunteers who can help upskill our own team members so that in turn, they can train more people themselves.

 

As part of the research into building the Educational Centre, TREEZ requested that a team from EcoloDGy (a local organisation specialising in sustainable building and farming) come to assess the land and decide which materials would be best. The idea is that EcoloDGy would manage the building of both the Educational Centre and the volunteer house and teach local builders how to build these structures using locally sourced, sustainable materials. Again, the hope is that the locally trained builders could replicate these building techniques and help build more affordable and climate resilient houses in the community. Pictures below of soil sampling for brick making:





 

Lessons learned:

-       Bringing an element of fun to the community through the various events has proved to be a very effective way to spread awareness as hundreds of community members join in. They are also a source of pride for the people here as many come from the outside to attend.

-       The importance of finding sponsors to cover the logistical costs of putting on the Run4Reforestation to maximise the proceeds of the fundraising  

-       Football and netball teams play an influential role within the community and individual players are often role models to the young children. Their positive influence is crucial in getting the younger generation to care and act positively.

-       Football tournaments unite communities and gives the teams another reason to carry out environmental activities

 


CLIMATE RESILIENCE:


2 main activities come under the umbrella of climate resilience and mainly funded through Sustainable Global Gardens, implemented by TREEZ:

 

-       Regenerative agriculture

-       Kitchen gardens

-       On-farm and at home tree planting

 

Regenerative agriculture:

 

What is regenerative agriculture?

It is a more sustainable and environmentally friendly form of agriculture, with little or no use of chemical fertilisers and which helps to restore the fertility of the soils rather than impoverish them.

 

In 2021, TREEZ was approached by Sustainable Global Gardens (SGG), a small British charity run by Paul and Carole Keeley. SSG had until now, been operating in Kenya, with the aim to minimise poverty and hunger.

 

Paul contacted TREEZ about the possibility of implementing a new method of farming called the TIYENI method, also known as double Deep Bed farming.

 

The TIYENI project was planned over 3 years with the aim of having a minimum of 100 farmers using the TIEYNI method by the end of the 3 years. Sadly, the TIYENI team fell behind in their follow-ups and the training schedules came to a stop, and the excitement in the community about this new method dwindled.

 

However, in November 2024, Paul returned to carry out the last of the TIYENI training as we all decided that the training should not got to waste. Paul spent 2 weeks training hand-picked 20 farmers from our local communities, and 20 farmers sponsored by Mbedza another Zomba based organisation. Most were able to implement the training on their fields in time for planting. The maize in these fields is looking very good indeed.

 

Should these farmers’ fields prove to be successful, we have no doubt that more farmers will carry out the work.


What is the TIYENI deep bed farming method?

The basic feature of TIYENI farming is a much deeper turning over of soil than is traditionally practised in Malawi.  This technique requires digging beds that are 2 hoe blade lengths’ deep and making them 1m wide. Once dug, the soil is turned and compost added in. This system breaks the sub-soil hardpan to improve root penetration and reduces surface runoff and soil erosion.  The ditches improve on-site water retention and availability of water for crop growth.  It is not surprising that this improves harvest yields and encourages a greater variety of crops to be grown.

 

The problem with implementing this method:

The method requires digging up the field and breaking of the hardpan. It is extremely hard work.

In previous trainings, the work was carried out in October and in again when Paul came, it took place in November, the hottest time of year. This is demoralising as not only is it very hot, but the ground is hard baked by the previous few months of sun.

The hard work is a likely deterrent to new farmers taking on this method.

 

The solution:

As Paul spent an intensive 2 weeks training the 2024 farmers, the same farmers can go on to train the next 20 or 40. We advise for the training to take place in May, when the soil is still damp and soft from the rainy season.

Also, if, as we hope, the yields from the farmers who have carried out the training in November 2024 are good, this will inspire more farmers to take part.

 

Photos below of the November 2024 training and maize growing in one of the fields

 

 






 

 Kitchen Gardens:

 

As part of their aim to alleviate poverty and hunger, Paul Keeley, through SGG came out in early 2022 to teach how to dig double dug beds and implement a kitchen garden in a demonstration plot.

Having a demonstration plot meant that community members could learn a different form of vegetable bed making, without taking any risks on their own land.

 

The double dug bed, is similar to the TIYENI method in so far as the bed is dug to a double hoe blade’s length. The soil is then turned over and compost is mixed in. The main difference is that rather than being in a field, the bed is by the house so that everyday vegetables can be grown there, therefore reducing the need to purchase them elsewhere.

 

As well as the demonstration plot, 10 farmers were invited to take part in the training (we chose those who had already had some permaculture training so that the methods would be consolidated) and each was responsible for digging their own kitchen garden. In the kitchen garden demonstration plots, multiple beds were dug and each conservation groups were made to be responsible for one bed; trees were planted around the main composting heap was started here.

 

In January 2024, another round of training was provided and another 20 kitchen garden beds dug and planted. Another demonstration plot was dug at Khola, a village further away from the initial kitchen garden demonstration plot to show the communities on other side what was possible, and this garden has doing amazingly well.

 

Composting:

 

As part of the work with the kitchen gardens and the TIYENI method of farming, groups and individuals are encouraged to make large amounts of compost.

 

This is especially important considering the exceedingly high price of chemical fertiliser.

 

Members are learning the benefits of nurturing the soil. Hopefully if the groups make enough compost, there will be excess to sell: another source of income for them when the time for preparing the fields comes again.

 

 

Below are pictures of the second kitchen garden demonstration plot and a double dug bed at a community member’s home:






Lessons learned:

-       Subsistence farmers living below the poverty line are naturally very reluctant to experiment with new farming techniques unless those techniques have been proven to be fruitful Demonstration plots in key locations have shown to be very successful as the farmers are not taking risks on their own land.

-       As the work required to prepare the land for deep-bed farming methods is very hard, it is important to start the work after the rains when the soil is soft. If the work is too hard, fewer people will be willing to carry it out.

-       Moving people away from expensive chemical fertilisers is very hard and making compost requires effort. Once people realise that they can sell the compost they are making, the art of compost making will spread as people realise the money they can earn from it, as well as the benefits they can reap from using it themselves.


At home and on-farm tree planting:

 

Just as TREEZ pays a survival rate for each tree counted in the designated conservation areas, Sustainable Global Gardens has initiated a secondary phase to tree growing and conservation within the communities themselves.

 

This project involves counting the number of trees on each of our conservation members’ land (farm and homestead) and paying the member for their trees on a one-off basis. The members are encouraged to plant more trees and therefore earn more money.

If the member has planted more trees, then his farm is counted again, and the member is paid for the trees in excess to those counted previously. Therefore, if the person has allowed some trees to die or they have been cut down, even if he/she has planted trees, they would need to plant even more to receive extra money.

 

SGG’s system pays a specific rate for different types of trees, with fruit trees earning more than others.

 

With the extra income as an incentive and the possibility of more funding for tree planting, TREEZ with SGG, is organising nurseries in the community. The selling of seedlings will provide extra income to the groups.

 


Bamboo:

In previous years, TREEZ has provided 2,500 bamboo seedlings to conservation community members with the aim for the bamboo supply both fuelwood and timber, and eventually income as well. As well as being utilitarian for the home, if planted near the house, the bamboo would also serve to protect the house from wind and rain.

 

Sadly, the survival rates of the bamboo seedlings were only 55%. This is in part due to the seedlings being very small. The bamboo was also organised later in the rainy season and therefore planted relatively late. The bamboo that was planted in the vicinity of people’s homes fared much better than those planted in fields where they received less water.

 

TREEZ however felt sure that the quality of the seedlings was not satisfactory, therefore, the following year, we organised seedlings from the most reputable source in Malawi, (www.afribam.com) but also at a substantially higher cost. The seedlings were much, much bigger and needed 2 x 40 tonne trucks to deliver them to Zomba. This proved to be more complicated than planned also.

 

The weather over the next 3 days it took to get the bamboo to Zomba was incredibly hot and dry and many of the bamboo suffered in transit.

 

The survival rates of the bamboo are of 65% and will be supervised.

TREEZ has decided to not invest in anymore bamboo until the bamboo that has been planted already reaches a reasonable size and begins to be useful for the community.



Bamboo from 2024

Bamboo from 2022
Bamboo from 2022

 Nurseries

 

In 2023, each group was provided with tools and equipment needed to start their own seedling nurseries and compost. Sadly, these did not receive enough oversight and only 5 out of the 14 nurseries succeeded in growing any seedlings.

 

In 2024, the groups extra efforts were put in and extra monitoring was organised. This has ensured that groups carry out the work they have agreed to do and ensure better seedling production.

 

14 nurseries have been set up and progress so far has been good. We are aiming for 50,000 seedlings this year.

 

Paul and Carole from SGG are working on a sizable grant that would provide the community with significant income, in exchange for the planting and maintenance of 250,000 trees over 5 years. The importance of the nurseries is therefore paramount.




Lessons learned:

-       Monitoring, monitoring, monitoring. The importance of training our team on how to monitor and evaluate the various projects more adequately.

-       There is a need to standardise the tree counting technique and ensure that the people assigned to counting, are neutral and unrelated to those whose trees they are counting.


Fuel efficient stoves:

After finishing the delivery of the cookstoves in early 2023, this programme was aborted as TREEZ found that other organisations were already involved in the community and that their activities were very successful. We therefore decided that it was best to not duplicate their work and that funds would be of better use elsewhere.

 

Emergency Relief:

 

In early March 2023 Southern Malawi, and the Zomba region was hit by Tropical Cyclone Freddy, the longest cyclone in recorded history. On the Outer Slopes of Zomba Plateau, where TREEZ Malawi is based, over 550mm were recorded in less than 72 hours; and, over the 11 day period whilst the weather system was active, we averaged at least 75mm of rain per day every day.

 

The local village communities were deeply affected, and much damage caused. In the communities where TREEZ is active many homes where completely destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. In Traditional Authority Mlumbe area between 5 different Group Villages 293 households were made homeless, and in the Domasi valley Kasonga community 83 households. Many more suffered structural damages to their homes, or crop damage.

 

All these communities play an active role in TREEZ reforestation and natural regeneration programme, as well as environmental awareness and protection.

In the wake of Cyclone Freddy, and the desperate immediate need of many community members, it was therefore decided to launch an emergency fundraising campaign which raised MK9 million. TREEZ could therefore buy the essential items needed wholesale and distribute them to where they were most needed. This included maize flour, rice, beans, soya, salt, sugar, cooking oil, fresh vegetables, blankets, sleeping mats, soap, buckets and basins.

 

The success of TREEZ is greatly due to the level of trust, interaction and partnership it has developed with the communities amongst which it operates; maintaining this relationship is crucial to its ability to be effective in both the short and long term. Especially as the cyclone’s record-breaking strength can be seen as an effect ofclimate change, and TREEZ’s reforestation projects build resilience to climate change, this reallocation of funds can be seen in this light as completely in keeping with both the spirit and to the letter of its stated charitable aims and purposes.

 

All funds used for this emergency relief were raised from a specially dedicated JustGiving Campaign Page and therefore the costs incurred from the cyclone do not affect the overall TREEZ expenditure.

 


ADMINISTRATION:

 

As the projects that TREEZ is involved in grow, so does the need for helpers, to assist Jonas carry out all the activities. All our members come from the local community and are learning on the job. One of our medium-term projects is to be able to bring in ‘workaway volunteers’ to help train our community liaison officers and their assistants.

Better training will enable TREEZ to apply for more funds as the staff will be able to carry out the monitoring and evaluating of the project.

 

Jonas Beyard, the chief TREEZ community coordinator and general right man to all things TREEZ, who has been working with TREEZ from the beginning, was made an official employee in 2021. He is responsible for managing the various conservation groups and communication between TREEZ, traditional authorities and the communities. He has now also been made a Deputy Director of TREEZ. He has stepped down from his position of chairman of the Zomba Tour Guide Association but his tour guiding business continues to thrive.

 

Aaron Linje assists Jonas with his responsibilities with an emphasis on the Malacamu communities while Benedicto Daviko helps Jonas with the Nankhunda side.

 

Faith Rabbit, Clement Kwenje, Humphrey Chanelo and Grace Benito act as assistants to both Benedicto and Aaron while Lexa Chikaola is helping to write up the reports.


Logistics:


TREEZ and the Department of Forestry have worked hand in hand from the start with TREEZ assisting the Department of Forestry with logistical support as and when necessary; this is often in the form of manpower, but also fuel and in some cases vehicle parts for their water browsers, invaluable vehicles for tackling bush fires.

 

TREEZ also hires out other trucks or vehicles when needed, for the transport of bamboo for example, for carrying the Bright Dreamers band to the recording studio, or for transporting helpers for the Run4Reforestation.

 

 In 2024, TREEZ also paid for firefighting training for 60 conservation group members. This was carried out by the now retired chief fire officer for Zomba.

 

Expenditure for 2023 and 2024:


The tree planting and sports sponsorship have significant overlap in terms of their activities as both protect and plant trees, but also are involved in firefighting. Fire patrol teams are chosen on rotation among all the conservation group members to spread the money as far as possible.

 

The tree planting & protection costs include payments for all 14 teams plus payments for 4 Kasonga groups, a payment which is split into 2 instalments.

 

The Fire Prevention costs include the payments for teams of patrols throughout the dry season and tools for firefighting. In 2024, 2 extra teams were added as the risks of fire were high.

 

Activity

Number of community members involved

Amount of money spent

In MK

Total spent in GBP

Fire Prevention

350

13,119,765

5,964

Tree planting & protection including sports & ZTGA sponsorship

500

 

65,275,634

 

29,670

Environmental Awareness

2,000

3,967,650

1,803

Run4Reforestation

60

14,742,394

6,701

Regenerative Agriculture

100

10,642,071

4,842

Bamboo & on-farm tree counting

500

13,941,800

6,337

General logistics

Including fuel and transport

 

5,422,391

2,465

Administration Including stipends

 

10,897,375

4,953

Total

 

138,019,080

62,736


Conclusion:

 

Overall, as TREEZ successes continue to grow, so do the expenses. Looking at the new year to come, TREEZ will need to find significant extra resources to cover the projected costs.

 

Remaining in the bank is GBP11,000 which will carry us through the beginning of 2025.

 

A special thank you to Belvedere Trust who have been a significant donor to TREEZ and without whom we could not have expanded our activities. They have also enabled us to trial activities, some of which have been very successful. Belvedere Trust is also instrumental in covering the staffing costs; a crucial item that is exceedingly hard to find funds for.

 

Another big thank you goes to Sustainable Global Gardens and Paul and Carole Keeley who continue to work tirelessly to help fund the climate resilience side of TREEZ and Paul’s incredible dedication in training community members in improved farming techniques.

 

We would also like to thank George Watson’s College and Berkshire Scouts, for both their generous financial support and sports kit donation; but most especially for coming to visit us and learn about what TREEZ is doing.

 

Thank you to Orbis Expeditions who have supported TREEZ for the past 2 years, both financially, and through donations of sports bras to our netball teams.

 

A big thank you to all of you who have and continue to support TREEZ, again, both financially and through donations of sports kit and bras in particular.

 

A huge thank you again to the UK TREEZ board members for their support and hard work.

 

And the biggest THANK YOU goes to the members of our community!!

 

TREEZ, despite its relatively small size, is proving to be a leader in conservation in Malawi and a role model for other organisations to follow.

 

We couldn’t be doing all this without you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Get in touch:

WhatsApp/Mob: +265 888 573 325
Email:treezmalawi@gmail.com
PPS: We are in the process of transitioning from Just Giving fundraising platform to Enthuse so this year we are using both. Please let us know your feedback :)
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