African mahogany (Khaya senegalensis), Limba (Terminalia superba) and rain tree (Samanea saman) - these are just some of the many tree species that have been planted in recent months by the residents of the three Togolese villages of Makumavo, Missahome and Mesiobe on the banks of the Zio River. In total, there are about 11 200 seedlings, which were previously raised in three newly established tree nurseries. The project was made possible by donations to the Naturefriends Climate Fund, which financed the establishment of the tree nurseries and the transport of the seedlings.

Under the motto "1,000 trees for Senegal", Naturefriends Hofheim and Naturefriends Hessen together with Naturefriends International (NFI) invited to a Zoom discussion on 23 June 2021. Mamadou Mbodji, Senegalese Vice-President of the NFI and president of the African Naturefriends Network, gave a moving speech on the effects of climate change on the African continent.

In November 2020, the new Climate Fund project of Naturefriends Senegal started with fruit tree plantations in the north of the country. Mamadou Mbodji, who coordinates the activities on site, reports from the project region: Thanks to the generous donations for the Naturefriends Climate Fund, we can implement our project in a total of seven villages. The people there live from agriculture and suffer particularly badly from the consequences of climate change.

The north of Senegal, like all rural regions of the Sahel, is particularly affected by climate change. The new Climate Fund project of Naturefriends Senegal is therefore starting just at the right time! The planting of at least 2,000 fruit trees is intended to give new hope and perspectives to the people in four villages in the two regions Louga and Saint Louis in the north of Senegal.

For more than 10 years, Naturefriends Togo have been making an important contribution against the advancing erosion of the riverbanks, which is a massive environmental problem in this West African country.