Reforestation Project
As desertification expands southward from the Sahara, it is beginning to impact Togo as well. This is especially true as climate change and global warming bring unknown and unpredictable weather patterns to our region. Furthermore, there has been a recent increase in deforestation due to timber harvest and charcoal production.
In order to mitigate current deforestation in our communities, Alaffia began a tree planting project in 2004. Each year, during the rainy season, we purchase young trees and distribute them to small towns and villages. Next year, we will proceed in larger scale, focusing our attention in the Dapaong region in northern Togo, which is experiencing the threat of desertification to a greater degree. This is a perpetual project and we would like to expand it throughout West Africa.
In 2006, we also added a campaign to stop the cutting of shea trees in the central and northern regions of Togo. Historically, shea trees have been exempt from use as fuel wood since their seeds yield valuable oil. Recently, however, there is a scarcity of other trees and shea trees are increasingly being cut to sell as firewood in Togo's cities.
