As a charity, registered here in Germany, Discover will end at the end of March 2026.

In March 2014 when Discover was registered, I and our small team here in Winnenden, Germany, initially committed ourselves to working for two years and then to evaluating our work. But after two years, we and our African partners gained momentum and were all motivated to continue.

Today, in November 2025, I look back on the last 12 years with great satisfaction. I am grateful to the many people here who have supported us financially. And I am proud that our African partners have achieved so much with our very modest resources, despite the many challenges of development work in Africa.

What have we achieved? Thousands of trees have been planted. Land that was barren has been revitalised through tree planting and agroforestry. Communities have developed a sense of common purpose. Thousands of school children have planted and cared for trees and understand how crucial the environment is for their welfare.

Now we hear that people who had migrated to the towns to escape poverty in their own villages are returning, because the conditions there have improved so much.

I thank all our many African partners for their dedication to their communities, and all our supporters for your financial contributions. For me, it is time to retire, but I know that the work in Africa will continue. Our partners are well prepared.

Keith Lindsey

Discover colleagues are combatting the worst impacts of the climate crisis by planting and protecting trees!

The climate crisis is serious. All over the world, from Nepal to Florida, from here in western Europe to many African countries, communities suffer from torrential rains and floods, with the loss of lives, property and livelihoods. In this report by Robert Bwambale in Kasese, Uganda, which describes the recent flooding there beneath the Rwenzori Mountains, Robert emphasises the importance of planting and protecting trees, and of planting bamboo along the riverbanks.

Discover colleagues are growing trees in Africa

. . . . and growing thousands of trees! To learn more, please read the summary report of the work of our colleagues in Africa between January and June this year. As I compiled this report, I was massively encouraged by the dedication of our African colleagues and what they have managed to achieve.

Please read also the plans of our colleagues for their work up to the end of this year. Again, I found their plans encouraging and inspiring. Discover colleagues are making the world a better place!

Late 2023 as Coordinator of Discover I, Keith Lindsey, visited many colleagues in Uganda. I was massively encouraged! Please read my detailed and illustrated report here.

Please watch our videos

Many partners are practising agroforestry – and they and their families are benefitting enormously. Thanks to Andreas Weber, we have produced this 15 minutes video about their work. This uses clips that Keith made while in Uganda last year: Discover e.V. 2024 agroforestry in Uganda english Version – YouTube Please watch it, like it, leave a comment and even share it with others!

Uganda is facing many serious challenges, most notably deforestation and rapid population growth, but the work of our partners gives us enormous encouragement: Their communities are being transformed!

You may also enjoy this short video „Planting trees in Africa“ which we produced in August 2023. Several Discover partners speak about their work of planting and protecting trees.

As the climate crisis becomes more serious, we realise how vital it is to plant and protect trees; to improve soil fertility, to reduce the chances of flooding, to enable communities to survive drought, to provide fruits, medicines and timber, and to absorb carbon dioxide. Our partners are promoting agroforestry, which is the combination of trees, vegetables and animal keeping. In this way, farmers survive the long dry seasons and the torrential rains, and have a good harvest.

Our partners work with teachers and pupils in schools and establish agroforestry plots. In this way, children and adults learn about the important role trees play in the environment. With these activities, children enjoy school and the dropout rate is reduced.

Work in schools is very important because the population in Uganda is exploding, and it is proven that if children, and especially girls are educated, then the number of teenage pregnancies declines. Our partner Christopher Nyakuni in West Nile, Uganda, has established the Green Star Nursery and Primary School with the specific purpose of providing quality education his rural village.

Read our Annual Report 2022 which describes many excellent tree related initiatives of our partners in Uganda, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

On 21 March 2023 many Discover partners celebrated the International Day of the Forest by arranging a special event at which they planted trees and, by inviting guests, increased the awareness of their activities in the community. Read the report of World Forest Day activities here.

On 1 March 2023 a hybrid event was held in Winnenden at which Makabuli Yusuf described tree growing activities on the Elgon Mountains in Uganda which are already contributing to the wellbeing and safety of the communities living on the mountain slopes. Rehema Namyalo described the benefits of agroforestry. A report of the evening can be read here.

We support major tree growing initiatives: In Kasese, Arivu and Kaliro in Uganda and in Marondera West and Mutare in Zimbabwe. Our aim is to grow at least 30,000 trees each year for 5 years, from 2021 to 2025! So far, we have exceeded that target! But what matters is the number that are still alive today – our partners give great care that, despite periods of drought, as many trees as possible do survive.

We are very grateful to the town council in Winnenden that supports this work to the tune of 15,000 Euro (about £12,700) per year during these 5 years. We are even more grateful to you, our private supporters, who support us with more than twice that amount!

In Marondera West, Zimbabwe, the Discover Green4Life project is establishing an Eco Farm. This farm is already a training facility for the neighbourhood and includes a demonstration vegetable garden, tree planting, biogas units and bee keeping. See pictures here of the Field Day held on 3rd June 2022.

Here you can read more reports of the Eco Farm and the tree planting activities of some of our partners:

• Photo report of the EcoFarm project in Zimbabwe January 2024.
• Report of Robert Bwambale in Maliba, near Kasese in Uganda.
• Report of the Green4Life activities in Mutare, Zimbabwe.
• Report of the indigenous seed collection project of Makabuli Yusuf on the Elgon Mountains in Uganda.
• Report, from Robert Bwambale of „Bumbura (Discover) Maliba“ in Uganda.

This report of the tree growing project in Arivu, Uganda, written in early 2021, explains the urgent need for trees in northwest Uganda.

Would you like to compensate for your carbon footprint by helping Discover partners in Uganda, Zimbabwe and Malawi to plant trees? Here’s how!

Would you like Discover to run a training seminar for your organisation?

In Uganda, Rehema Namyalo and her colleagues in the „Vumbula Masaka“ training team will continue to run training seminars in organic agriculture, the cultivation and use of medicinal plants in natural healthcare and income generating activities. See here for more information.

Page last updated on 1 October 2024