NEWS: International Tree Foundation

Noormichuki's story

Noormichuki and her family rely on the Mara River to survive. The Maasai Mara Reserve is famed for its beauty and diverse wildlife. But it’s not just the 1.3 million wildebeest and other wild animals crossing the river every year that rely on this beautiful landscape.

Noormichuki has been farming, gathering forest fruits and fire wood since she was a child. She remembers a time when there were thick forests, wildlife and plentiful rain. Life has changed. Now they experience droughts and long dry spells.

“We used to eat the forest fruits and felt no hunger, currently you cannot get the fruits”

Like you, Noormichuki knows how vital trees are in protecting soil from erosion, rivers from pollution, improving local climate and for making a living. Thanks to International Tree Foundation supporters, Noormichuki is now part of an ITF partner project to plant 24,000 trees around the Mara River. This will help strengthen the livelihoods of many families and communities who rely upon it. Give Noormichuki the gift of a tree this Christmas.

Women bear the brunt of these environmental challenges. Noormichuki never went to school. From age 16 she had to provide for her family. She knew they needed to conserve and plant more trees. She knew they needed to restore their environment. But as an uneducated women there was little she could do. You can help change this.

Thanks to generous International Tree Foundation supporters, Noormichuki has a voice in her local community. She is trained in tree planting, and is working with a community group growing seedlings to plant and even to sell. People can see the change; Noormichuki is now a respected leader. Give the gift of empowerment to more women like Noormichuki this Christmas.

“I couldn’t go to school when I was a child, but now I’m advising children in school. It has improved my self-esteem and made me feel so proud!”