TIST Celebrates 25 years of Growing Trees
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Among those 77 farmers were Sylvester Rambo and Julia Magolo. Sylvester remembers that during the first seminar farmers discussed the idea of working in Small Groups of 6 – 12 members. There was emphasis on rotational leadership and training on public health issues such as HIV/AIDS and malaria. After the seminar, Sylvester formed a Small Group called Amani and started planting trees. Through being in a TIST Small Group, members made new friends, and Sylvester was appointed to serve as a quantifier, counting the trees planted by the Small Groups. That gave him wages to build a house. |
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Rotational leadership provided Julia Magolo the opportunity to lead in her community. She recounts learning during training that rotating leadership works differently from the permanent leadership of a chairman or boss, and how that gives a chance for all members to lead. They discussed the value of trees giving benefits such as fruit, nuts, shade, wind break, and preventing soil erosion. They also discussed the idea of the carbon business, which was very new to everyone. Julia trained other members in her church and formed a Small Group called Kongoni, which planted more than 200 trees around the church compound. She then encouraged other farmers to form Small Groups and plant trees. Julia, her family, and her neighbors have benefited from fruits, shade, fresh air, and food security. In 2024, TIST was recognized by Verra for its efforts. Verra is the standards organization that certifies all TIST carbon credits. Verra created a short video and case study for Climate Week in New York in September featuring TIST. We invite you to check the links below to see what they produced. Please enjoy and forward them to friends as well! TIST’s resounding success has enabled it to set up the TIST Educational Fund to send some of the most vulnerable of the farmers’ children to school. 33 students are now able to study. More children will have the opportunity in 2025. |