TravelLocal Fund For Good: interview with Tree Aid

As part of our commitment to being a force for good in the travel industry, in 2023 we set up the TravelLocal Fund For Good. This fund will be distributed to charities around the world that are doing crucial work to alleviate challenges like environmental degradation, wildlife conservation, and access to clean drinking water. One of these is Tree Aid, an incredible charity dedicated to providing a long-term solution to environmental degradation in Ethiopia, tackling poverty and aiding the local communities in the process. In this interview with Tree Aid, we speak to Clare Hanley-Theare, Fundraising Manager, about the impact this charity has had in Ethiopia and beyond, its community-driven focus, and the undeniable challenges posed by the climate crisis.

What was the motivation behind the creation of Tree Aid?

Tree Aid was set up by a group of foresters in Bristol, England, in response to the famine happening in Ethiopia. With their background, they knew that the financial aid Ethiopia was receiving wasn’t a long-term solution to what the local communities were facing. Trees are the solution, and through the projects we introduce, we want to really lift up the voices of the local people.

By 2027, we want to continue expanding our work to have grown another 12 million trees across the Sahel. We’re part of the Great Green Wall initiative, which involves regreening huge areas of the Sahel by 2030, and is helping create 10 million green jobs for the local communities. We’ve done a lot, but there is still a lot to do.

How would you explain the importance of what Tree Aid does to our customers?

Tree Aid’s contribution is hugely important: the climate crisis is being felt everywhere, but everything that we’re experiencing is being felt a million times more in the Sahel. The land there is severely degraded, crops can’t grow, there isn’t enough food and the people aren’t making an income. The number of people being forced into poverty and unable to provide for their families is increasing. There’s a greater need amongst the community for land that’s already depleting, and the work Tree Aid does is vital to that community’s survival, helping empower them, make them self-sufficient, and earn an income.

We’d had lovely stories about the women we support, in particular. By getting involved with a Tree Aid project, the women we helped in Ghana learned new skills, gained financial independence, and were able to send their children to school – the projects have been life-changing for them. What we do creates a ripple effect through the community, so everyone benefits alongside the environment.

How does Tree Aid select the locations you’ll be helping and the tree species planted there?

We’re completely community-led, we have offices in all of the countries we work in, and we employ local people who really know the community there. This is really important, as we want to make sure the community working on the land is going to then have access to that land and the fruits produced by the trees planted. One of the first things we do is make a needs assessment: we find out what’s already growing in a given area and what’s in need, involving the community from step one, and we put work in to ensure good tree survival rates.

How do you ensure the survival and growth of the trees you plant in dry conditions?

We do a lot of work around making sure water is available in the areas we help. As part of our projects, we dig out massive pits of water that capture the rainfall during the wet season, typically over only a few months in the year. This is to ensure the survival of the trees we plant, as well as of the crops we plant around them that help the trees’ growth.

One of the most difficult issues we face is of course the climate crisis: we’ve had communities tell us they used to be able to plan their farming and planting, but now, late or heavier rainfalls can throw everything out of balance. Forest fires, droughts, floodings and more, also make it really tough to grow trees.

What experience have you had with getting the local communities involved in your projects?

Having been around for a while, we’re now able to show the local communities the benefits of what we do, and help them understand that we’re there to listen to them and their needs. Once we’ve started working in one community, it’s also quite an organic process of then expanding the work we do into neighbouring communities. After a project’s completion, we do a lot of work around monitoring and valuations, to make sure the trees are still growing and the communities continue to be self-sufficient.

Make it happen

Raising funds is vital, as Tree Aid couldn’t continue the work they’re doing without help from supporters around the world. If you’re looking for ways to support them yourself, please visit their website and get in touch with them directly.