Trees Out Of Poverty

Some of the students at Bukari Primary School planting trees.

The community-based organization HANDS OF ACTION UGANDA was started by a group of farmers from the Bududa district. Originally called the Randa United Farmers Group, this nonprofit was created to help those in rural communities to improve their lives out of poverty. The group was designed to address several issues faced by their communities by encouraging direct participation.

One of the projects in which they are engaged is planting fruit trees, which would help address both the shortage of food and fuel. Captain Planet Foundation provided some of the economic support. The first phase focused on planting the fruit trees at the local primary schools, where they would be a living part of the environmental sustainability education program and also provide nutritional fruit snacks for the students. In addition, wood lots for fuel were built at the family homes of the students.



Some of the types of fruit trees include jack fruit, mangoes, pawpaws, guavas, and albizia. Then the a group of 180 students and teachers were trained in how to care for the trees, along with the benefits of both fruit and wood to the community.

One issue with which the communities deal is the mountainous slopes, which can produce mudslides when community members clear-cut the trees on the slopes. So, the students are taught how the trees help hold the earth in place, preventing mudslides, so the community must make sure that sufficient tree cover always remains on the slopes. Having a base of educated people who know how to care for the natural lands will help move these communities out of poverty, by preventing disastrous conditions.

There are, of course, other projects that are supported by Hands Of Action Uganda, such as bead-making enterprises by the local women, providing goats to needy families, a children's art project. As noted above, this organization is organized locally, and has the advantage that locals know a lot about the needs of the community, along with the limitations of the local environment. Since their website is a blog, you can readily keep track of this group's latest achievements. And if you like what they do, you can even donate through gofundme.

A student plants a tree at her school.

Thanks to this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/hands-action-uganda-one-million-trees/, and this article from betterplace.org: https://www.betterplace.org/en/organisations/handsofaction.

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