RECOFTC’s ‘Trees & Bees’ campaign reaches fundraising goal

 After two months of online and offline fundraising activities, RECOFTC’s ‘Trees & Bees’ campaign has reached its fundraising goal with support from individual donors from across the globe - from the United States to Thailand, South Korea and even Tanzania. The funds raised during the campaign will support a women-led tree-planting and beekeeping initiative in Sarlahi, Nepal.

The campaign, originally launched on Generosity.org, was promoted at a variety of events in Bangkok including the 100 Kilometers Market on 30 October and 9 December, at AKIN in Asia’s Women in Environment on 2 November, at Art for the Earth: Green Dialogue on 15 December, and at Low Carbon for Christmas on 18 December.

Online donations reached 9,725 USD and offline donations reached 1,116 USD, totaling 10,841 USD. Additional funds from donor organizations reached the 23,000 USD goal.

The funds will provide the community located in Sarlahi, Nepal with material to plant 750 fruit trees, 6,000 grass and fodder saplings, planting material for 15 vegetable species, 45 beehives, beekeeping tools, one week-long beekeeping training, a full year of follow-up supervision and project management and communication.

Beneficiaries of the campaign expressed gratitude when learning of the success of the campaign. Below is a selection of quotes taken from community members whose livelihoods will directly be improved by project implementation.

“With the money we will earn from growing mango and litchi trees, we won’t have to worry about paying for our daughter’s education”

- Durga Nepal, Sarlahi, Nepal

“Bee-keeping will benefit every household in the community”

- Ganga Mainali, Chairperson of Bishnupur’s CFUG

“We are tired of growing just sugarcane and want to grow other crops – planting trees will benefit the bee-keeping we will learn to do”

- Tara Mahat, Sarlahi, Nepal

“I want to apply my knowledge and practice agroforestry because I understand the concept of mono-cropping in the context of climate change”

- Arjun Mahat, Sarlahi, Nepal

“In ten years, I will be able to earn about 1 million rupees (10,000 USD). This will contribute to my livelihood, reduce the burden of repaying my loans, and I won’t need to work as much when I get older”

- Govinda Basnet, Sarlahi, Nepal

RECOFTC would like to express its gratitude to those who supported this campaign. Learn more about details of this initiative here.