10:00, 23 February 2022
Words by Smiley Team, Staff Writer, London
In 2012, when someone asked Tracey West what she’d like for a wedding present, she never realised her response would - one day - form the foundation of a charity.
“Plant us a forest in Kenya,” Tracey replied to the guest.
So they did.
A friend of Tracey’s who was an international tree planter advised them on a suitable location - and their wedding present of 150 trees were planted. “We wanted to develop on that 150 trees we had planted for our wedding,” says Tracey. She and her husband Simon did a few fundraisers, including a writing competition that planted trees in Kenya for every entry. Then, in 2017, The Word Forest Organisation was launched.
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The charity was based around planting trees in the tropics - where trees grow 10 times faster than anywhere else. That means anything planted there is great for climate change.
“Planting trees are easy,” says Tracey, “but we wanted to ensure trees grew to maturity, stop local deforestation, support the people in those communities.” They soon realised while their mission was to plant trees, it was also to build school, facilitate education, and support women’s empowerment. With those four things address, they had a loop where each thing supports the next thing.
In 2018, they set up a local women’s empowerment group called Mothers of the Forest, which consisted of a group of 40 women - most of whom had never been to school - who came together to reduce social isolation and learn how to earn an income.
Supported by the charity, they had a meal prepared for them and would share tips for rearing saplings and looking after trees. The Word Forest Organisation put on workshops for them, too. Their payment is to plant and look after trees in their area.
The women plant fruit and nut trees as, not only do they help tackle climate change, but it also helps them grow food to eat and sell. “That was wonderful, coming together as this group, creating their own system and framework for support,” says Tracey.
Once a year, Tracey and Simon will go to visit the community they support. Just before Covid, they went and shot a documentary about their work - called Trees Are The Key - which aimed to show optimism in the face of climate change. It was narrated by Kate Winslet. While Covid threw up their planned screenings of the film, it has the bold and purposeful aim of sparking conversations about trees and why they matter - plus why trees in the tropics are so important.
Covid caused struggles for people all over the world - but for Tracey and Simon, they knew that the people in Kenya needed their support more than ever. They sent £4,500 of food aid every single month for a year to the communities they support. “We relied on using the money we had to try and help the people in Kenya and stay a few steps away from starvation,” says Tracey. “We fed around 1,600 people a month - enough to give them something.”
The charity had two women and two men distributing food aid, who would feed back to Tracey and Simon how much the donations were helping. One woman, they were told, had six children and was so grateful to receive the food - even though they could only eat every two days.
Through fundraising, donations, and corporate partners, The Word Forest Organisation managed to increased their charity income during Covid. So what’s next?
Tracey says they want to get back to focusing on their projects in 2022. In the last year, they’ve focused on permaculture.
“The Mothers of the Forest have been learning about the value of permaculture and the critical importance it plays in terms of securing food and water,” says Tracey. “When you grow permaculture methods, you grow more than you did - one lady now has 16 different fruits and vegetables as a result of learning it.
“Her mission is now to spread that word about permaculture and give women that opportunity to grow different foods - it’s the only way we’ll get biodiversity going on.”
Tracey says they want to give the people in Africa the ability to feed themselves - so getting in Kenyan permaculture teachers to teach the women is a great step forward. “We’ve started creating little permaculture food forests,” she says. “They’re covered in insect nets so whatever they grow is safe and preserved so people can eat. These food forests are being rolled out as our funds come in at the schools.”
And the charity is also hoping to start building classrooms again - a solid stone classroom is around £15,000. It creates a cooler environment for children who are more likely to concentrate and work well.
There are so many ways you can support The Word Forest Organisation.
WATCH: Watch, or put on a screening, of their documentary Trees Are The Key, to help them get back to their core projects. Group screenings could get people in your community talking about why trees everywhere are vital.
DONATE: Just £2.50 plants a tree in Kenya and pays the woman, as well as buying the seeds to restock.
FUNDRAISE: Whether you do a birthday fundraiser on Facebook, or want to do a sponsored fitness challenge, the charity welcomes any fundraising in support of their charity.
VOLUNTEER: “There are never enough volunteers to do what we do,” says Tracey. Fill out the form on their website and get started.
“The people in Kenya - the tree planters in Kenya - are the most important people on the planet right now,” adds Tracey. “If we can support them to plant trees and get food on their table, everybody benefits. The planet benefits. We benefit.
"They clean the air we breathe all over the world with those trees, and the developed north needs to support them. Their story is not told anywhere near wildly enough. We try to be a voice for the voiceless.”
