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Kaffrine, Senegal Named United Nations “Champion Community” For Ecosystem Restoration

Dakar, Senegal, November, 2025 – 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

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." “By sharing the methods born in one of the driest regions of Senegal, we hope to light the way for other regions in crisis.”

John Leary, Founder & CEO of Mother Trees.

Best Practices Knowledge Exchange, December 11, 2025

Mother Trees, the town of Kaffrine, the United Nations Best Practices Task Force, and our partners at TreeAid (reforesting with Savings Clubs in Mali) invite practitioners, donors, and the
public to the Best Practices Online Knowledge Exchange on December 11, 2025, at 14:00 CET (8:00 a.m. ET).

Media Contact

Pam Agullo, Marketing & Comms, Mother Trees

Email: pam@mothertrees.org | Phone: +1 (915) 261-9592

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.

Our Vision

A world where natural farming and forest conservation provide optimal health for people andbiodiversity. We envision a green rural economy that enables farming communities to thrive whilecontinuously regenerating precious farmlands and restoring forests.

LifeTree Program

Through its flagship LifeTree Program, Mother Trees regenerates degraded landscapes into thriving, food-producing ecosystems using regenerative agroforestry. This holistic model addresses hunger, poverty, and land degradation by:

By aligning environmental restoration with economic empowerment, the LifeTree Program offers smallholder farmers a sustainable path out of poverty while revitalizing fragile ecosystems.

Our Approach

Farmer-Centric Model

We believe in a farmer-to-farmer approach. By using model gardens, such as the one managed by Omar, we teach and inspire other farmers to adopt sustainable practices. Despite challenges like goats and locusts, these gardens serve as beacons of hope and learning.

Personal Stories

The transformation stories of our Mother Trees farmers are at the heart of our mission. Their journey from despair to prosperity reflects the potential of the Life Tree System to change lives. These personal stories highlight the emotional and social impact of our work, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose.

Global Relevance

The challenges faced by farmers in Senegal resonate globally. In the USA, the historical shift towards industrial farming has led to similar issues of environmental degradation and social despair. By reconnecting people to the land and promoting sustainable practices, we aim to address these global challenges.

The Urgency of Now

The world is running out of time for chances. With climate change making weather patterns increasingly unpredictable and environmental degradation worsening, the need for sustainable agriculture has never been more urgent.