Brookside Dairy plants 20,000 trees in Kenya

This year the tree nursery will provide the Maasai Mara with another 80,000 trees.

Full of vibrant culture and tradition, the Maasai Mara region is inhabited by both Maasai and Kipsigi people. Both communities rely heavily on agriculture and animal husbandry to provide for their families. But in the last few years, the region has been devastated by prolonged droughts that not only destroy the beautiful landscape of the Mara, but threaten the livelihood of these amazing people.

To address these challenges, Free The Children has partnered with Brookside Dairy Ltd., a renowned local dairy company. With Brookside Dairy’s generous support, Free The Children has started an innovative tree planting program to revitalize the Maasai’s dry land and make it agriculturally viable.

With Brookside’s help, we set up a local tree nursery that enables community members to plant up to 80,000 trees per year. Whether they’re adults or children, men or women, all local community members are involved in the tree-planting process.

With the guidance of Free The Children staff, volunteers use plant tree seedlings in recycled Brookside’s biodegradable milk cartons, which protect the seedlings from vermin and drastic temperature changes, while providing a green alternative to pesticides or plastic containers.

In the last year alone, the team has grown and replanted almost 20,000 tree seedlings, with another 40,000 trees ready to be planted. This year, we’re looking to increase that number by 80,000!

This amazing program means that current and future generations of Kenyan children will benefit from a greener, more fertile land and regain their livelihoods.

Free The Children is the largest network of children helping children through education in the world, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has an established track-record of success, with three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.