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This International Day for Biological Diversity, we are celebrating all life on earth, from microorganisms, to plant and animal life.

Many of ITF’s supporters today were inspired to join us after meeting St Barbe in person. Some have been generously planting trees with us for 50 years, such was the deep impact of our founder. As part of our centenary celebrations, we’ve been asking for memories of St Barbe. Here are just a few.

We celebrated Earth Day 2022 by planting trees young school going children in Kitui County, Kenya.

Through training on agroforestry and alternative land restoration techniques, this project is supporting communities in Katavi, Western Tanzania to build resilient and sustainable futures.

The Unity Museum in Seattle, Washington is joining in with our Centenary Celebrations by holding an exhibition about the life and work of St Barbe, who visited Seattle on a number of occasions.

The Trees for Livelihoods project seeks to restore Kakamega forest whilst promoting women’s participation and inclusion in sustainable community development projects. 

In Burford, West Oxfordshire, our partner, Nature and Nurture is inspiring and mobilising local community groups to protect, enhance and restore their local landscape.

We are taking part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2021, where you can double your donation and plant more trees in Kenya’s Saiwa National Park wetlands.

Over the last year, 300 women have been trained on grafting and growing fruit trees which are being planted in their local communities, providing them with an income while also reducing the pressure on the ancient forest.

There are big commitments being made at COP26. But we are proud to be working with communities to do something concrete for the environment.

By promoting women’s participation, individuals will benefit from their focus on encouraging others and utilising the environment to improve livelihoods.

Gloria Uwizeyimana has joined ITF on an internship thanks to the Mastercard Foundation. Today, she shares her experience growing up in Rwanda and how her education and scholarships have opened up opportunities that she never dreamed of.

In Kenya, there are 1,100 native tree species, of which 10% are threatened with extinction. We are working with the communities and partners to ensure that none of Kenya’s tree species become extinct.

Last month, the Woodland Trust published a landmark report, State of the UK’s Woods and Trees 2021. In it, the state of our native trees is laid bare.

ÂÜÀòÉç has been supported on our mission to plant trees by countless volunteers who gift us their time because they are passionate about reforesting the planet. Much of what we do would not be possible without their generosity.

For Mental Health Awareness Week our team have been sharing what trees mean to them and how connecting with nature has helped them, especially during the pandemic.

This International Day of Forests, Ricardo, ITF’s Programmes Manager, shares how forests and rural communities depend on each other for wellbeing.

The question for this article is how? How do we ensure gender equality and equal rights to resources are designed into these large scale restoration programmes?

The project is a wonderful practical way of supporting women, of educating women and giving them the opportunity to experience empowerment.