Kaffrine, Senegal Named United Nations ‘Champion Community’ for Ecosystem Restoration
The Mother Trees LifeTree System restores ecosystems and sustains local livelihoods
Women's Group meeting for their Village Savings Club: model for communities to mobilize resources, finance restoration, and build resilience.
John Leary, CEO and Omar Ndao, Senegal Director, Mother Trees Founders
The town of Kaffrine, Senegal officially recognized by the United Nations Task Force on Ecosystem Restoration as a Champion Community
This recognition is not just for Kaffrine, it is for every community proving that restoration brings both life and livelihood,”
DAKAR, SENEGAL, November 12, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Kaffrine, Senegal Named UN “Champion Community” for Ecosystem Restoration — John Leary, Mother Trees Founder & CEO
The town of Kaffrine, Senegal has been officially recognized by the United Nations Task Force on Ecosystem Restoration as a Champion Community under Initiative 3 of the Capacity, Knowledge and Learning Action Plan for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
This honor acknowledges the extraordinary achievements of Kaffrine’s farmers, families, and local leaders, who have transformed one of Senegal’s most degraded regions into a beacon of resilience and regeneration, achieving restoration in a way that simultaneously generates income and sustains local livelihoods.
“Your recognition as a Champion Community in restoration-related income generation, for your work on Ecosystem Restoration with Agroforestry through Savings Clubs through the Community of Kaffrine and Mother Trees, reflects an inspiring commitment to ecosystem restoration and sustainable livelihoods. It also highlights your community as a leading example of how restoration can support both ecological recovery and income generation, inspiring practitioners globally.” - UN Task Force on Best Practices, Subgroup on Initiative 3
In addition, Kaffrine’s initiative has met all 10 criteria for a good restoration practice and has been approved for publication on the UN Decade Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring (FERM) platform. This ensures the community’s achievements gain international visibility and contribute to global knowledge-sharing in ecosystem restoration.
Honoring Five Champions of Kaffrine
As part of this designation, the UN Task Force recognized five community champions for their outstanding, long-term contributions. These individuals embody the collective spirit of Kaffrine, where thousands of farmers have united to restore their land, revive biodiversity, and strengthen rural economies:
Omar Ndao, Mother Trees Senegal Program Director - Honored for helping plant tens of millions of trees in his native Kaffrine over the past 25 years, inspiring generations of farmers to adopt agroforestry.
Mrs. Fili Traore, President of the Women’s Forestry Association - Recognized for her leadership in mobilizing women for reforestation initiatives and for her tireless work overseeing tree nurseries that supply the tens of thousands of seedlings each year driving Kaffrine’s forest regeneration.
Mrs. Aminta Sall, President of And Sokoleko Women’s Village Savings Group - Celebrated for leading a savings and credit association that has enabled women to generate income from tree products grown by reforestation and agroforestry.
Mrs. Diabou Seck, President of the Ndankou Forest Management Committee - Honored for advancing community-based forestry management and safeguarding the Ndankou forest through inclusive leadership that sustains both biodiversity and community livelihoods for the long term.
Mr. Baay Dame Cisse, Vice - President of Teranga Saloum Cooperative, Community Development - Recognized for championing farmer solidarity, sustainable practices, and collective marketing that strengthen livelihoods across the Kaffrine Region.
Global Partnerships that Made it Possible
Two major global partners, the Tony Robbins Foundation and tentree, played a pivotal role in this success by helping fund and plant millions of trees through community-led programs in Kaffrine. Their support enabled thousands of families to adopt agroforestry practices that have reduced hunger in the region, created rural prosperity and restored degraded lands. Tony and Sage Robbins are on a mission to plant 100 million trees and have already planted over 71 million, many in Kaffrine. Tentree, a sustainable apparel company that plants ten trees for every item sold, also continues to support the ongoing planting through their new veritree technology platform.
"When I was eleven, a stranger fed my family, it made me believe strangers care. That act sparked a journey that has now provided over a billion meals and a mission to help plant 100 million trees. I’m proud to have supported the planting of millions of those trees in Kaffrine, where extraordinary champions have taken that momentum and built thriving, regenerative communities. Through their leadership in agroforestry and savings clubs, they’ve turned fragile harvests into sustainable prosperity, renewing both the land and the economy.”
-Tony Robbins, world’s #1 life and business strategist, philanthropist, and New York Times #1 best-selling author
Mother Trees: Sharing Lessons Beyond Senegal
Mother Trees, the nonprofit organization supporting Kaffrine’s journey, is committed to ensuring that these lessons reach far beyond Senegal. Through the LifeTree System, Mother Trees integrates tree planting, soil restoration, water harvesting, biodiversity protection, and household savings into a replicable model of regeneration. The organization has developed and co-created practical methodologies for agroforestry, forestry, reforestation, apiculture, cooperative development, and village savings clubs. Currently, Mother Trees is sharing its Village Savings Club manual through the UN Decade’s FERM platform, offering a proven model for communities to mobilize resources, finance restoration, and build resilience. This knowledge is especially urgent at a time when vulnerable populations in regions such as Gaza and Sudan face deep hardship. By elevating African best practices, Mother Trees and its partners hope to equip at-risk communities worldwide with tools that combine survival, dignity, and ecological regeneration.
“This recognition is not just for Kaffrine, it is for every community proving that restoration brings both life and livelihood,” said John Leary, Founder & CEO of Mother Trees. “By sharing the methods born in one of the driest regions of Senegal, we hope to light the way for other regions in crisis.”
CTA: Best Practices Knowledge Exchange, December 11, 2025
Mother Trees, the town of Kaffrine, the United Nations Best Practices Task Force, invite practitioners, donors, and the public to the Best Practices Online Knowledge Exchange Live Webinar on December 11, 2025, at 14:00 CET (8:00 a.m. ET).
RSVP/Registration
About Mother Trees
Mother Trees is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring ecosystems and regenerating rural economies through agroforestry. Its flagship LifeTree System empowers farmers to restore fertility, end hunger, and create sustainable livelihoods while combating climate change.
RESTORE LIFE. SPARK PROSPERITY. FORGE LEGACIES.
Media Contact
Pam Agullo, Marketing & Comms, Mother Trees
Email: pam@mothertrees.org | Phone: +1 (915) 261-9592
Website: www.mothertrees.org
Pam Agullo
Mother Trees
+1 915-261-9592
pam@mothertrees.org
Visit us on social media:
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
The Power of Trees through the LifeTree System, integrates ecosystem and biodiversity restoration and household savings into a replicable model of regeneration.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
