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TREE AID.
This year to
celebrate National Tree Week, development charity TREE AID is calling for support
to spread the benefits of trees, by helping communities in Africa plant trees
and Grow Hope for their families.
Every 2 minutes a
child dies from hunger and malnutrition in the drylands. Deforestation and climate change have led to
degradation of the land making it increasingly hard for farmers to grow enough
crops to feed their families. During the
‘hungry months’, families often survive on only one meal a day. But there is hope. Trees can provide a direct answer to hunger, as a source of fruits, nuts
and greens rich in vitamins and minerals. And by selling tree products, like
shea butter, families can get crucial income, which they can use to buy the
food their children so desperately need.
TREE AID’s CEO John Moffett explains:
“Trees are vital for families in
Africa, providing stability for the soil, and a valuable source of
nutrition. At TREE AID we work directly
with communities, giving them the training and equipment they need to grow
trees, a lifeline when food is scarce.”
Since the charity launched in 1987 10 million trees have been planted
across Africa. But the work doesn’t stop
there. TREE AID have launched an urgent appeal
to help a further 32,000 families get the skills they need to plant trees and
grow hope for the future.
Mother of 6 Jalia
Dimmie, from Northern Ghana, has benefited from a TREE AID project in her
village.
“Before the project, there was
a lot of suffering,” she says.
With TREE AID’s
support, she can now grow trees to feed her family with nutritious foods such
as mango, nuts and plums. What’s more,
she’s learnt how to process shea butter into soap, and to package, distribute
and sell it. With the money she earns,
she can save to buy food in the lean season.
“Now that we have more food to eat, it’s been
a long time since my family were sick,” Jalia continues. “We are no longer just surviving, we’re living.”
In celebration
of National Tree Week, TREE AID are calling on tree-lovers across the UK to
support the Grow Hope appeal by fundraising or making a donation, helping
32,000 more families like Jalia’s permanently build a better future.
To learn more about this vital appeal and to make a donation visit http://www.treeaid.org.uk/growhope/
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Notes to editors
About
TREE AID
TREE AID is respected international development
organisation. Since 1987 TREE AID has
been working in remote and isolated communities in Africa, where people live in
extreme poverty and have little food, money or opportunity to improve their
lives.
We help communities to plant trees to grow their way out of
poverty and hunger. The communities we work with learn to use the produce that
trees provide for food and to earn extra income.
We work with communities to raise understanding of the
importance of trees and how they protect the environment, not just for today
but for future generations. The trees they grow help to create more stable
local environments, reducing the risk of flooding and drought, and halting the
cycle of poverty and hunger.
We work with partners at all levels from village to
government to make sure the voice of the poorest is at the centre of forestry
policy.
We work in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali and Niger and have helped more than 500,000 people across Africa grow more than 10,000,000 trees.
Please contact the TREE AID Communications Team on press@treeaid.org.uk
About Grow Hope
The Grow Hope Appeal started in
October 2015 and aims to raise £250,000, which will enable us to lift 32,000
people out of poverty. The Grow Hope
Appeal will help villagers grow trees, and grow hope of a better future.
Distributed by Pressat