Word Forest

With the end of COP28 drawing ever closer, this seems like a perfect time to review the positive (and negative) outcomes of the global meeting thus far.

With big parties such as the US, UK and China being present, the anticipation for groundbreaking policies to be installed seems to be at an all-time high. But what has actually been achieved?

Click the link below for an in-depth update as well as our thoughts on the discussions so far.

wordforest.org/2023/12/09/understanding-cop-28/

Episode twelve of the articles that formed our Report and Accounts this year.⁠
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In this penultimate episode in our series of articles from our Report and Accounts, we hear from Jed, our digital media expert.

He talks about the growing requirement for charities to stay up to speed with the ever changing technologies and platforms for social media.

Jed also discusses how we try to stay ahead of the trends when it comes to communicating our critical messages to our supporter base, as well as reaching new audiences to spread our vital message.
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Read or listen here today: wordforest.org/2023/11/28/r-a-socially-speaking-by-jed-robertson-digital-media-specialist/

📸: BBC Introducing

Water scarcity or lack of water at all, threatens health and development of communities. Such communities are constrained even economically as what little income they have must be used to secure water.

Find out what we're doing to combat this and what you can do to help in our latest article!

wordforest.org/2023/12/01/water-is-coming-to-the-permaculture-training-centre/

Eva Jefa reports on how white roofs can counteract a host of challenges associated with the souring temperatures in much of the world.

Find out how this simple trick has impacted the communities work with by reading or listening here: wordforest.org/2023/11/24/the-importance-of-white-roofs/

Episode eleven of the articles that formed our Report and Accounts this year.⁠
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Solomon notes how climate change, and the resulting food and water insecurity, continue to cause problems for the Islanders.

This fuels his passion to continue to help the Mothers of the Forest by boosting their knowledge of syntropic agroforestry, organic growing and permaculture, creating perfect opportunities for the Mothers to advance themselves and improve biodiversity for everyone.
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Read or listen here today: wordforest.org/2023/11/21/r-a-improving-our-lives-and-our-planet-by-organic-change-by-solomon-owiti-rusinga-island-permaculture-lead/

We're up to episode ten of the articles that formed our Report and Accounts this year.⁠
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It's time for the second part from Joy, facilitator of the Mothers of the Forest on Rusinga Island, situated on the edge of Lake Victoria, and her assistant, Eunice.
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Read or listen here: wordforest.org/2023/11/14/r-a-womens-empowerment-on-rusinga-island-by-joy-masseno-facilitator-of-the-mothers-of-the-forest-and-eunice-majuma-her-assistant-part-2/
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We're launching a regular fundraising event that will be delicious to host: the Whole Food Plant-Based Bring & Share Fundraising Lunch.

The first one will be held on Saturday 2nd December between 12.30-2.30pm in Tipton St John’s Community Hall on Main Street EX10 0AF.

Entry is just £2.50 and all you need to do is bring along a delicious dish of your choice with an extra portion or two so others can enjoy what you’ve made. Please be sure to write out a card with the ingredients list too, so anyone with allergen requirements can see what’s in it.

If you have a vegan business and you’d like to sell your wares to the lunchees, large tables will be available to hire at £5 each. We’re hoping to cover the hire costs of the hall and any excess will be turned directly into food, nut or medicine bearing trees planted in Kenya.

Find out more here: wordforest.org/2023/10/27/whole-food-plant-based-bring-share-fundraising-lunch/

We’re asking businesses everywhere to host a Christmas Jumper Day in our name, helping raise urgently needed funds to get more trees in the ground. We’ve got a poster you can download and email to staff, or print and put by the coffee machines. Every pound we collect will make an enormous difference.

Click below to read more and contact us to request a poster!

wordforest.org/2023/11/10/dig-out-your-christmas-jumpers-for-word-forest/

Here's episode nine of the articles that formed our Report and Accounts this year.

We hear from Joy, facilitator of the Mothers of the Forest on Rusinga Island, situated on the edge of Lake Victoria, and her assistant, Eunice. Joy’s group was formalised in the middle of 2022 and the impact to the lives of the Mothers she hosts, and to their communities, has been significant and positive.

Read or listen here today: wordforest.org/2023/11/07/r-a-womens-empowerment-on-rusinga-island-by-joy-masseno-facilitator-of-the-mothers-of-the-forest-and-eunice-majuma-her-assistant-part-1/
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First published in The Oxford Blue magazine, Molly Scrase-Kings writes on how we can reconnect with the water through more responsible environmental practices.

Read or listen here today: wordforest.org/2023/11/03/our-rivers-are-not-sewers/

Episode eight of the articles that formed our Report and Accounts this year. 🦌 Today, our esteemed colleague, Sue, discusses another of our ambitious projects to help conserve a critically endangered forest antelope called the Mountain Bongo.

Read or listen here today: wordforest.org/2023/10/31/conservation-matters-the-tulinde-bongo-project-by-sue-jueno-special-projects-and-fundraising/

Here's episode six of the articles that formed our Report and Accounts this year. 👨🏼‍💼 This week we hear from Dominic Hurndall, an unwaveringly supportive Corporate Partner to Word Forest. Hear his view on the way charity partnerships of this kind can be beneficial to both organisations and the planet too. 🧑🏿‍💼
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Read or listen here: wordforest.org/2023/10/24/r-a-viewpoint-from-a-corporate-partner-by-dominic-hurndall-founding-partner-oaklin/⁠
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Another wonderful piece from our Kenya Team correspondent, Juliet Anyanzwa, showing how courage and determination can carry someone through the most difficult of times and lead to something better.

Read or listen here today: wordforest.org/2023/10/20/the-new-dawn/

It's time for episode five of the articles that formed our Report and Accounts this year. 👨‍🌾 This week, Phil Gamble recalls how inspirational the Mothers of the Forest were to him whilst he delivered lessons on organic growing and permaculture in December 2022. His tutoring sessions took place during our annual Monitoring and Evaluation visit to our projects across Kenya. 👩🏿‍🌾
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Read or listen here: wordforest.org/2023/10/17/r-a-why-permaculture-by-phil-gamble-horticulture-trustee/
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In the past week, our Team at Word Forest have been deeply saddened to learn of the passing of two amazing individuals; Tim Harland and Tony Husband.

We will be planting trees at our Head Office to commemorate the phenomenal lives of these two incredible men, both committed to evoking positive change. Also, any donations made through the tribute page linked below will go towards planting a memorial forest in their honour.

Read or listen to our tribute here: wordforest.org/2023/10/20/tim-harland-and-tony-husband-gone-way-too-soon/

Here is episode three of the articles that formed our Report and Accounts this year. This week, Izzy Robertson delivers a heartfelt thank you message before passing the baton over to Eva Jefwa and her assistant, Juliet Anyanzwa.

Read or listen here: wordforest.org/2023/10/10/r-a-a-uk-and-kenyan-address/
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Reforestation stands as a vital tool in combating climate change, preserving biodiversity and restoring the health of our ecosystems. But what is being done to help these efforts grow momentum? 🌳

Find out here in our latest audibly and visually accessible article: https://www.wordforest.org/2023/10/06/reforestation-restoring-natures-green-legacy/

Members of our Kenyan team recently attended Africa's Climate Summit 2023! In this article, Juliet gives us an in depth look into the discussions that took place and their impact on the future of our planet.

You can read or listen to it here: wordforest.org/2023/10/13/africas-climate-summit-2023/

Our friends at Hot Poets have launched their Haiku Futures series, working with the UNFCCC’s Resilience Frontiers!

There will be a video each week to creatively manifest their 8 Pathways towards a desirable world!

Here is episode four of the articles that formed our Report and Accounts this year. This week, Professor Bill McGuire delivers a chilling reality check about global warming and our climate emergency. He also discusses how our vital work across Kenya is helping to limit some of the climate extremes.
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Read or listen here: wordforest.org/2023/10/03/r-a-how-our-mission-is-making-a-difference-by-bill-mcguire-special-scientific-advisor/

We are delighted to share this report from Juliet Anyanzwa, valued member of the Kenyan Word Forest Team; it shines a light on how difficult having a disability can make things and how simple acts of kindness and inclusion can really transform someone’s life.

Read or listen here: wordforest.org/2023/09/28/epilepsy-and-the-community/

Here is episode three of the articles that formed our Report and Accounts this year. Our amazing Patron, esteemed meteorologist and TV weather forecaster, Clare Nasir, puts the science in perspective and explains why Word Forest’s mission is so vital for the health and wellbeing of our planet.

Read or listen here: wordforest.org/2023/09/26/r-a-meteorological-matters-by-clare-nasir-patron/

Our relationship with nature is based on the weak foundations of assumed dominance. It reduces plants to inanimate objects and fails to recognise that what hurts the individual (nature), hurts the whole.

We need to adopt a more compassionate relationship with nature, to improve the state of our planet. We need to connect to a part that has long been silenced.

Check out this article on the ways we can improve this relationship: wordforest.org/2023/09/22/cultivating-compassion-for-nature/