Help mee aan herbebossing in Kenia. Onze bomenkwekerij heeft, dankzij 't Kootje Fundatiën het afgelopen jaar 13.000 bomen geplant en dat aantal willen we in 2010 ver overschrijden. Wij schenken aan de boeren in de wijde omgeving 50 boomscheuten die ze wel goed moeten verzorgen. Die bomen zorgen voor hout, windschut, veevoer, medicinale toepassingen enz. Dus zeer de moeite waard. Schenk 10 euro voor 100 bomen.

             per heden is 1735 euro gestort dus 17350 bomen geplant!

Ja, ook ik wil 100 bomen planten en zo de herbebossing in Kenia ondersteunen.

Stichting Kootje Fundatien doneerde  5.300 euro waarmee onderstaand voorbeeldproject van start is gegaan. Daarmee is werkgelegenheid geschapen en een enorme push gegeven aan de structurele aanpak van herbebossing in onze regio.

Mount Elgon North Forest Association (Menofa)

A re-forestation program sponsored by Mount Elgon Orchards Ltd.(MEO)

As part of the environmental management plan MEO is looking at re-forestation activities in the area in cooperation with a small local NGO, the Mount Elgon North Forest Association (MENOFA). MENOFA works with volunteers who provide technical assistance and create awareness among the people.

Although the situation is not yet alarming, de-forestation, mainly for firewood and agricultural activities, is taking place at a large scale and could become a great concern for the area if no action is taken on time.

All home steads in the community can participate in this program. They can buy seedlings from MENOFA at a fair price (KSH 5 – 20 per tree).
So far, a number of 10,000 indigenous trees have already been planted. Under the umbrella of the DV project. This program will be expanded to 50,000 trees per year.

Introduction of Mount Elgon North Forest Association (Menofa)

MENOFA is a small grass root organization in Chepchoina Location , Trans Nzoia District, Kenya.
The group has been active in promoting awareness among the community on the importance of preserving our environment and the role that trees play in it.
Chepchoina is a remote rural area without proper infrastructure. There is access only via a very bad dirt road, no electricity, no secondary schooling.
Employment is provided by government farms and by Mount Elgon Orchards Ltd., a flower exporting company.

The group gets a small income from selling tree seeds and seedlings.

The group has been operating a small tree nursery and has a small mud hut serves as an office in Chepchoina village. Members in the community pay a small fee to join the organization in the hope that they will be able to join the “shamba system”. The shamba system is a tree planting system whereby the people are allowed to cultivate the land for maize and beans in between the seedlings in order to keep the weeds away for the seedling to establish.
This shamba system is operated on government land on the slopes of Mount Elgon.

Other activities are the collection of waste plastic which is sold for recycling and the start of a beehive project in order to produce honey.

Until now the organization has had difficulty surviving because many people are not willing to pay for the tree seedlings and if they get them for free they do not look after them.

Justification for support.

MENOFA is the only group of it’s kind in the wide area. The board and the members have really made an effort to try and make a change for a better environment. Even without any financial support from government and donors.
The board members have been trained by an international NGO, the Swedish VI and their Olav Palme institute in Kitale, on how to operate tree nurseries, create community awareness and how to operate a honey project.

Without any financial support it will be difficult for them to develop the project any further in these early stages until the community recognizes the need for careful environmental management. 

Moreover the area where MENOFA is active is very important as a water catchment area for 2 rivers that supply large parts of Kenya with water: the Trans Nzoia river which runs to lake Victoria and the Suam river which runs to lake Turkana.

The projects can serve a double purpose because they will provide income to the community as well through sales of tree seedlings and honey.

Objective of the proposed project

Ø To strengthen the basis of the operation of  MENOFA so they become better known in the community and will be able to develop an understanding among the population of why and how to plant more trees.

Ø To assist the community with developing of income generating projects through sales of tree seedlings and honey.

Activities of the project

1. Setting up a proper tree nursery with a good water supply

2. Setting up a training program for the villages in the area

3. Setting up a honey project

Arrangements for the activities

1 Tree nursery
A plot of land near the river will be made available by Mount Elgon Orchards Ltd.
The water supply will be guaranteed by Mount Elgon Orchards Ltd.
One employee will set up the nursery and run it. MENOFA volunteers will collect seeds from the trees.
The nursery will serve as a show nursery and training centre.

2 Training and awareness program
A decent office will have to be built. From there the planning of the village visits will take place.
Members of MENOFA will be trainers on a voluntary basis. Training material will have to be developed or acquired.
Regular visits to the village will take place during which discussions about the environment will take place, videos will be shown and sample seedlings will be issued
Follow up visits to the villages will take place to monitor and encourage the tending of the seedlings.
If the first seedlings are established the community will be encouraged to buy and plant more seedlings. If the trees have an economic value like for fire wood or posts this will be easier.

3 Honey project
A show project with 10 beehives will be set up. The community will be trained on how to attend to the bees. When the community is fully aware of the benefits of the project they can invest in more beehives which they will know how to make themselves.

Management of the project
The project will be managed by the chairman of MENOFA under the supervision and monitoring of Dr. Bea Andersen from Mount Elgon Orchards Ltd.
6 monthly reports will be presented to the donor.

Expected results

The proposal is for a period of 2 years.

First year
In the first year all activities will be set up. At least 30 locations will be visited. At least 200 families will have planted 50 trees each. Those first 50 trees will be free for each family.
The beehives will be built and installed in a safe bee house. The first honey will be harvested.

Second year
The second year the project will have to proof that is has been effective in seeing number of seedlings sold and planted increase.
The planted seedlings will have to be monitored until they are fully established.
The honey production should now be increased to 20 kg per hive per year.

If the project proves to be successful after 2 years Mount Elgon Flowers will continue to pay the nursery attendant, supply the water and the land for the project. The rest of the expenses will then have to be covered by the generated income.

January 2008
Bea Andersen, chairman of Mount Elgon Trust sponsor of the Menofa Project.