Forest Mama
Caroline's quest to protect Kenya's sacred coastal forests
The effects of climate change are increasing in severity, and it is the world’s poorest communities - those least responsible for global warming - that are suffering the most. These communities often live in the most vulnerable areas and lack the resources to adapt to the growing frequency of climate crises.
Community leader Caroline won’t accept this reality for her community and is rebuilding a section of the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya forests in Kenya, one seedling, and one football game, at a time. With support of Plan International through the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems (COSME) project, Caroline is leading efforts to nurture a legacy that will thrive for generations to come.
As chairperson of a local conservation group in Kenya, Tumaini (meaning “hope”), Caroline leads efforts to balance preservation with community needs. The group has already planted 5,000 indigenous seedlings, including Mzambarau (java plum) and Mibuyu (baobab) – trees the elders called miti ya kukinga baridi, or “medicine trees for colds and asthma.”
How COSME is providing solutions to climate change:
The Plan International COSME project is working with local communities around the world to support environment conservation and restoration and development of sustainable farming.
Mangrove restoration
Mangroves protect coastal communities from storms and rising sea levels, storing up to four times more carbon than inland forests. Restoration helps reduce the damage of climate-related events for communities.
Sustainable seaweed farming
Seaweed reduces coastal erosion and creates fish habitats. It can be farmed for export or processed into marketable products like shampoo and lotion.
Forest conservation
Eastern Africa's costal forests are biodiversity hotspots under threat. To ensure that the natural environment is not depleted, it's necessary to employ conservation techniques like the planting of native species, use of solar water heaters, and incorporate alternative livelihood methods like mushroom foraging.
Kenya's sacred forest
The Sacred Mijikenda Kaya forests are a UNESCO World Heritage site spread over 200km along Kenya’s coast. The forest contains the remains of fortified villages, known as kayas, created by the indigenous Mijikenda people.
“Every tree here holds a story. My elders taught us this forest isn’t just land. It’s our home, our history.” As a child, Caroline played games within the forest, amongst the towering baobab trees. She remembers being guided by her elders about sacred boundaries and ancestral spirits that protect the forest and call for rain.
Growing up, Caroline has watched the effects of climate change on the sacred trees of her childhood, as they’ve been threatened and destroyed by timber harvesting, deforestation, and land clearing.
Tumaini project participants water seedlings.
Tumaini project participants water seedlings.
Tumaini project participants water seedlings.
Tumaini project participants water seedlings.
How are women affected by climate change?
Climate change is magnifying the inequalities that girls and women disproportionately face.
“Women bear the brunt of these challenges. With delayed rains, food scarcity has become a pressing concern. We rise before dawn to get our work done, hoping to finish before the sun blazes overhead. Many of us walk up to five kilometres along dusty roads just to fetch water, a task that is both risky and time-consuming.”
For Caroline, it’s important within her community that they create a way to bridge the gender divide. While Tumaini started as a women’s conservation group, it has evolved into a community-wide movement.
Her husband, initially sceptical, has joined a men’s group, Heri (meaning “goodwill”), that partners with Tumaini. Their collaboration comes to life in a surprising way; through mixed gender football matches where only women can score goals.
“We never imagined we’d be playing – especially alongside our husbands!” Caroline says with delight. The games help build alliances off the field as well. “Sometimes, when a woman is cutting down a tree, she might disregard my advice,” Caroline explains. “Women often don’t take advice from other women. But if a man intervenes, she listens. It works the other way, too: Men are more receptive when women speak about sharing household tasks, including bringing water to the home. Collaborating is essential.”
This partnership has transformed both forest and family dynamics. “We’re not there yet with the forest, but now my husband respects me more,” Caroline reflects. “He even seeks my opinion on family matters.”
Climate change progress
The project goes beyond mere tree planting. In Caroline’s compound, fruit trees now provide food and shade, while solar water heaters have helped replace the need for firewood. “We’re showing our community that conservation creates abundance,” Caroline says, gesturing to the thriving orange and mango trees around her home.
“Seeing big, sturdy and fruitful trees makes my heart sing. I long for things to return to how they were before. If I could, I would make the forest my permanent home, guarding it and enjoying its beauty every single day.”
The groups’ success has had an impact throughout the community. They’ve sold seedlings to Plan International, earning 80,000 Ksh (A$994) that has helped families send their children to school. The seedlings are then replanted in the forest by COSME participants.
“We’re the freedom fighters of clean air and good medicine,” Caroline declares, her commitment to Kaya Chonyi unwavering. By recycling milk bags found by the roadside into seedling containers, they are ensuring the survival of the next generation of trees - a testament to how traditional wisdom and modern conservation can nurture both forest and community.
Hope for future generations
Through her connection to the land and her unwavering determination, Caroline embodies the spirit of Plan's COSME project, a remarkable initiative that empowers communities to cultivate hope, resilience, and sustainability for the future. It's not just about planting trees; it's about nurturing a legacy that will thrive for generations to come.
"My dream is for our children to inherit a forest that still breathes. I want them to grow up knowing that we did everything we could to protect this place," says Caroline.
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