Emali – Kwa Kamba Community Hill Restoration

Community forests in arid areas are easy to maintain when using the community based approach.

Overview

Kwa Kamba Community hill is located at Kwa Kamba village, Emali near Muuoni River. It is a dilapidated community forest area that has been afforested from time to time.  This is in efforts to maintain a micro-climate in Kwa Kamba village, as well as protect the water source. This project was done to commemorate International Volunteers Day 2022, in collaboration with the Department of Education and ICT Makueni county government – Directorate of Volunteerism, Internship, Mentorship and Diaspora affairs; KEFRI – Kibwezi Office, ECO Green Initiative and Time and Light Youth Group.

Hill area covers around 78ha of the arid area. It is easily accessible from Emali town.

Over time, human activities limit the growth of forests to maturity. This includes deforestation, charcoal burning and livestock grazing. Over time, efforts to rehabilitate the community forest has failed.

With other partners, Jumuisha Initiative led the community to once more rehabilitate the forest area. Strategies deployed to ensure sustainability included the community driven approach and adoption of the forest area by local youth groups. Time and Light Youth group, is a youth group based at Emali – Kwa Kamba village with very vibrant diverse-skilled youth. Their core activities include climate action – tree planting hence suitable to manage the rehabilitation of community forest project.

Partnership

As the local community led by Time and Light Youth group would take care of the planted seedlings, all actors will work to ensure that the tree seedlings grown in the hill are well kept and managed.

• Jumuisha Initiative

Jumuisha Initiative is responsible of coordination of all actors under this program. This includes coordination, monitoring of growing process and reporting.

• KEFRI – Kenya Forest Research Institute Kibwezi Office

KEFRI Kibwezi is responsible for supply of drought resistant tree seedlings and climate action education to the community engaged in the rehabilitation of Kwa Kamba Community Forest.

• IMV Directorate, Government of Makueni County

Being International Volunteers Day 2022, the IMV directorate came in handy to encourage voluntary community based partnerships as a sustainable approach to greening. The unity is responsible for continuous evaluation of the volunteering process and its effectiveness to community development and climate action.

• ECO Green Initiative

Community based organization that supports climate action in Emali Area. Main role is to provide seed balls for broadcasting in the area.