Zeitz Foundation
Current donation: $100,000
Donations to date: $500,000
The ZEITZ Foundation (ZF) develops and implements socially and ecologically responsible projects in the Laikipia region of Kenya. Our donation will enable ZF to continue with their Tree of Life Initiative and secure sustainable water access for the region, provide the villagers an alternative income stream to livestock, build sustainable communities through their 4C Learning Center (a vocational training academy for forestry and permaculture), and reforest 3 million trees.
Why They're Climate Smart
Over the last decade, Kenya has lost much of its forested land. The effect of this deforestation contributes directly to climate change, degrades the land, and affects not only the biodiversity of plant and animal life but also the well-being of the communities who rely on the land. It's a vicious cycle resulting in more hunger, more destructive agricultural activities, and less stability.
ZF's Tree of Life initiative combines women's education and vocational training with reforestation, conservation, and biodiversity. In so doing, ZF offers women an opportunity for independent incomes and financial freedom — regenerating the landscape (with a goal of reforesting over 3 million acacia trees), enhancing soil stabilization and fertility, recapturing water, and ensuring the survival of a biodiverse ecosystem.
This initiative follows ZF's sustainable "4C" approach — combining conservation, community, culture, and commerce — a philosophy that's shared globally through the Long Run network.
Why They Receive Our Continued Support
ZF has had outstanding results despite an ongoing drought and COVID restrictions slowing down the planting of trees and delaying the launch of their 4C Learning Centre. In the past four years, they have created a nursery; sourced, germinated, and planted over 800,000 acacia seedlings (with the help of over 60 community members); built over 21 km of fencing to protect new forests; purchased 15 acres of land for use in their vocational teaching; sunk a borehole to create new water access; and installed a solar pump, panels, storage tanks, and other plumbing works to generate up to 40,000 liters of water a day for the land, wildlife, and their newly established nursery.
With this year's funding, ZF will finish construction of a large water dam with a storage capacity of over 600,000 cubic meters to ensure water security in the area, advance plans to reintroduce rhino back to the region (establishing an umbrella species), increase forest cover to safeguard ecosystem restoration, and finalize the designs and curriculum for their new 4C Learning Centre (intended to educate the next generation of conservationists, prevent young adults seeking employment — or education — from leaving the community, and ensure long lasting impact).