The consequences of climate change, which we are already feeling strongly in Austria, are much more severe in countries like Kenya.
The rainy season is no longer reliable. Sometimes the rain comes and as soon as the plants sprout, it is gone again – so the seedlings dry out. When it does rain again, it often comes in such quantities that everything is flooded and the surviving plants die. The consequences for the population in terms of food safety are fatal.
In addition, the dry soil cannot absorb the masses of water, so flash floods submerge entire villages. Storms also often sweep across the country with such force that they take everything with them and cause great suffering.
In Kenya, too the hot days hotter and hotter, which poses major challenges for people, animals and plants alike.
To counteract these problems, the Austrian Doctors a reforestation program in 2024, which will be implemented in cooperation with and with financial support from “Hotelsforfuture.at” and “Das grüne Hotel zur Post” in Salzburg. The project will be funded in equal parts by the two project partners of the Austrian Doctors – of the Eroret Preparatory School and the Mary Hill Selfhelp Group – implemented.
Not only the project partners, but also people from the community are implementing the project. At the start, workshops were held on the topic of planting trees. This enabled the participants to choose the best trees for their environment. Soil analysis should help them to make these decisions. Depending on people’s needs, a distinction is made between fruit trees, trees that provide shade and trees that break the wind.
The project started the pilot phase on a small scale with a total budget of € 5,000. If everything goes well, it will be expanded step by step, depending on the level of donations. Due to the long lifespan of trees, future generations will also benefit from this new project.
"Planting trees is a sustainable measure against climate change. We can provide more shade and slow down the wind a little. The families also benefit greatly from fruit trees. We can leave our children a more liveable place on this earth through this project."
John – Head of the Eroret Preparatory School
The following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being promoted with the help of this project:
The Eroret School is run by John Kintalel, a Maasai who was one of 13 siblings and the only one allowed to go to school. Together with his wife Esther and a strong team of teachers, he runs the school, an agricultural project and this reforestation project.
In Awasi, the local NGO “Mary Hill Selfhelp Group” is responsible for implementing the project. The Mary Hill Selfhelp Group was founded in 2017 by Rose Omina and other residents of Awasi with the aim of sustainably improving life in the community. Austrian Doctors has been a partner of the Mary Hill Selfhelp Group from the very beginning and worked with the group to build the Nursery School and the Community Center.
