Planting for Pemba
In 2008, one of our tree planters, Jeff Schnurr, approached Brinkman about the donation of some old planting gear for a tree planting project in Pemba, an island off the coast of Tanzania. This simple request has morphed into an annual tree planting fund raiser - Plant 4 Pemba - where Brinkman field management and planters donate their day’s wages to Community Forests International - CFI - the organization that Jeff co-founded with executive director and Pemban, Mbarouk Mussa Omar. Brinkman also makes their own corporate donation. This annual event has generated a $225,000 investment into positive change on the island. This incredible support has enabled communities to plant over 2 million trees, spanning 30 different species of trees.
CFI is a Canadian charity based in New Brunswick that supports communities in East Africa to restore forests and overcome poverty. The organization works primarily in Pemba, Tanzania - a small island that is home to over 400,000 people with only 1,400 hectares of remaining forest.
Local experts at Community Forests Pemba train people in agroforestry, permaculture, beekeeping and provide communities without access to water and energy critical infrastructure to meet their basic needs. With the help of Brinkman planters, Forest International and it's local partners have worked in 30 communities and impacted over 30,000 people in Zanzibar.
Thank you to all the Brinkman planters and field staff who have generously donated 2 million+ trees over the last 12 years to help people living on the Island of Pemba restore their island. 100% of the funds from the Plant 4 Pemba campaign go directly to CFI’s partners in Zanzibar, enabling Island communities to adapt to their changing climate.
