The seedlings will continue to grow in the area of the Palorinya Refugee Settlement and flourish into large, strong trees. Their role will be to provide shade, relieve pressure on existing trees and strengthen the food security of the population. Currently, there are an estimated 166,000 refugees from South Sudan living in Palorinya Refugee Settlement. In order to provide for the refugees, 94% of the trees in the area were cut down to meet firewood and charcoal needs. Had this pace been maintained, Palorinya would have been completely tree-free by 2023. The desertification and soil infertility that have already set in have serious consequences for agriculture. Thus, Palorinya is unfortunately a showcase example of the devastating effects of a forest shortage.

Local population Involve

In view of the alarming developments, it became clear during the project that planting trees would not be enough. It was also imperative that the aspect of sustainability be lived in the everyday life of the refugee camp. For this reason, the long-term goal was that the firewood should increasingly come from controlled sources and that the local population should be sensitized to deforestation.

Processes for sustainable wood utilization

The project continues to develop processes that produce a specific type of wood for the construction of huts and for heating, while the rest of the tree population remains. The involvement of the local population and refugees has also created jobs. The project received more interest than expected, which was particularly gratifying. The demand from landowners even exceeded capacity, but is encouraging and shows that we are on a very good path.

The thanks goes to you too!

In spring we launched the Impact Bracelet in collaboration with Viva con Agua. NIKIN focuses on ecological aspects, such as tree planting in Uganda and the production of sustainable fashion, while Viva con Agua focuses on social aspects and provides people with access to clean drinking water and sanitary facilities. For each Impact Bracelet, one franc/euro will continue to go to Viva con Agua's One WASH Program and one tree to a special reforestation project.

Share a photo with your Impact Bracelet on social media with the hashtag #shareyourimpact and motivate others to live a more conscious lifestyle and the opportunity to do good.

(Images: Unsplash)