Planting hope in Nakivale: Community-led agroforestry

Our Story

At FOLONA, we believe caring for people and caring for the earth must happen together. FOLONA, which stands for “For the Love of Nature,” was born from the everyday realities of refugee and host communities in Nakivale, communities facing climate challenges, food insecurity, unemployment, and the gradual loss of connection to land, culture, and opportunity.

What started as small community activities rooted in environmental care and education has grown into a movement focused on regeneration, learning, and dignity. Today, FOLONA works alongside women, youth, children, and families to restore degraded land, strengthen livelihoods, and create spaces where communities can grow healthier, more resilient futures together.

The support from this project will help expand our regenerative work through agroforestry, food forests, climate education, women's empowerment, soil restoration, seed distribution, and community learning spaces. More than planting trees or running trainings, this work is about rebuilding hope, confidence, and resilience.

Our Mission

FOLONA exists to empower refugee and host communities through environmental restoration, practical education, and community-driven solutions that improve both livelihoods and ecosystem health.

We believe communities already carry knowledge, creativity, and strength within them. Our role is to create opportunities where that potential can grow through learning, collaboration, and regenerative action.

Why This Work Matters

Communities in Nakivale continue to face serious environmental and economic pressures. Deforestation, unpredictable weather patterns, soil degradation, and limited income opportunities make it difficult for many families to meet their basic needs sustainably.

Young people often struggle to find meaningful opportunities despite having skills and ideas. Women carry much of the responsibility for food, caregiving, and household wellbeing while having limited access to resources and economic opportunities. At the same time, many families depend on short-term systems that do not always create lasting resilience.

We have also seen how environmental damage affects more than nature alone. When land becomes less productive, it impacts nutrition, livelihoods, mental wellbeing, and community stability.

Our Approach

FOLONA focuses on practical, community-based solutions that people can learn, apply, and share with others.

Our work includes:

Tree planting and agroforestry Entrepreneurship and business for youth Soil (land) regeneration Seed-sharing initiatives Permaculture and climate education Women and youth empowerment programs Community learning activities for children in schools Regenerative livelihood initiatives

We use demonstration spaces and hands-on training to help communities build systems that are affordable, sustainable, and adaptable to local realities. Every activity is designed not only to teach skills, but also to encourage leadership, collaboration, and ownership within the community.

The Opportunity Ahead

We see enormous potential in Nakivale and the surrounding communities. Despite the challenges people face, there is deep resilience, creativity, and a willingness to build something better.

Our vision is to continue developing spaces where communities can learn, grow food, restore ecosystems, and create livelihoods in ways that respect both people and nature. The FOLONA community learning center and demonstration food forest is slowly becoming a place for education, innovation, healing, and connection, as we had planned, especially for young people and women seeking practical pathways toward a more sustainable future.

How We Create Impact

At FOLONA, we believe regeneration is not only environmental. It is also social, economic, and personal.

We measure impact through both numbers and lived experiences. This includes:

Trees planted and maintained Families participating in regenerative farming Women and youth trained Community gardens established Improved access to food and nutrition Income-generating opportunities created Children engaged in environmental learning Harvests and quantity sold

But beyond statistics, we also pay attention to the stories of transformation, communities feeling empowered, young people discovering purpose, women gaining confidence, and families rebuilding stronger relationships with the land around them.

Our Journey So Far

Over the years, FOLONA has organized community trainings, children’s learning sessions, women empowerment programs, tree planting activities, seed distribution events, and climate awareness initiatives across refugee and host communities.

Our work has been supported through partnerships, local leadership, and people who believe in regeneration and community-led change. Through these experiences, we have learned that long-term impact happens when communities are not treated as beneficiaries but as active leaders and co-creators of solutions.

FOLONA continues to grow as a space where environmental care, education, creativity, and community well-being come together, helping build futures rooted in resilience, dignity, and hope.