Restoring the Daka River with Ecosia

The project

This project started in late 2017 and was completed in February 2022. In partnership with Ecosia, we worked with riverside communities to grow trees and restore the Daka river.

During this time, we have more than doubled the number of communities we are supporting in the region. By the end of the project, we had worked with 61 communities living along the river. Together we helped them to grow trees that will provide nutritious food and incomes, and help restore the river as a reliable source of water, all year round.

Why was this project needed?

For many people in northern Ghana, the Daka river is a vital source of water for drinking, washing, cooking, and farming. But a rapid loss of trees and soil fertility, and the effects of the climate crisis, mean that the water level can easily run low, and the river dries out for months on end.

For local people, this has made growing enough food difficult. As a result, many people are living in poverty. But trees offer a solution. Throughout this project we have grown trees to restore the river and the land for future generations.

Women in northern Ghana walking in a line with tree saplings in buckets on their heads before planting them.

Our aims

Working with local people, we set out to grow millions of trees to provide food and incomes and restore the river and land.

The trees we plant mean stability and protection for the people living along the river. The roots stabilise the soil and prevent nutritious topsoil from being washed away in floods. They also help improve the land's fertility so that other crops can grow and provide communities with food.

A women, Makada, in a brightly coloured dress under a tree, photo credit Ecosia.

“I want the whole world to know how important trees are. These trees that we are planting along the river will also help us bring water back.” Makada, Yendi, Ghana

Our impact

After four years this project was completed in February 2022, in that time nearly 3.2 million trees were grown along the Daka river. We supported 2,285 households with tools and training to help them restore and protect their land.

Some techniques they were taught include bushfire management, tree grafting and assisted natural regeneration (ANR) — a method used to restore ecosystems. With this technique, 1,458,222 trees have been regenerated.