Will you give a life-changing tree this Christmas?

Name: Ripple Effect
Price range: $

Raised: £100000 Target: £100000

Thank you for helping us to reach families like Bekelech's with life-changing trees

This year, we are fortunate to be working in partnership with the Big Give. A Big Give champion and a generous group of Ripple Effect supporters have agreed to match the first £50,000 raised by our Christmas appeal.

Thanks to generous donations from supporters like you, an incredible £50,000 has been raised, which will be doubled to £100,000 - how amazing is that!

Although donations can no longer be doubled, you can still support families like Bekelech's on the frontline of the climate crisis through our Christmas appeal. A gift of any size will help even more families plant trees and thrive. Thank you.

The climate crisis is destroying children’s futures; it’s not only washing away their family’s crops and livelihoods, but also their hopes and dreams for a better life.

This is the harsh reality facing Bekelech, a mother from the Bensa district, Ethiopia, who works tirelessly on her land to provide for her children. As the climate crisis worsens, she worries about how she will feed her sons and fears for their future.

Irregular rainfall has led to Ethiopia facing the worst drought in over 40 years. In contrast, heavier-than-usual rainfall across parts of the country has also led to flooding. This is a devastating situation for 80% of the population who depend on the land and regular weather patterns for survival.

Can you imagine how heartbreaking it must be to see your children go hungry after the crops you’ve worked so hard to grow are washed away by flooding?

“My children were malnourished. I gave my only food to them, but it was never enough. It had a big impact on them. They’d get sick often.”

Bekelech, Ethiopia

With your support, it doesn’t have to be this way. Your gift of any size today could help support mothers like Bekelech to plant trees, protect their land and grow enough food.

If you can, please give online during the Big Give Christmas Challenge, because the first £50,000 of donations we receive, will be doubled. Head to Ripple Effect’s campaign page on the Big Give website between midday on Tuesday 28 November and midday on Tuesday 5 December and your donation could help twice as many mothers like Bekelech and their hungry children.

“The climate crisis is impacting our land. One year, there was such a big flood that it bought material down from the steep slopes behind our house onto our land and destroyed our coffee and crops. All we could do was replant everything and start again.”

Bekelech, Ethiopia

With each successive drought and flood, the impact is felt even harder. Families who are already facing hunger and poverty fall even further behind. However, the right tree, in the right place, can change this.

Here's how your donation of any size today could help support mothers like Bekelech with life-changing trees and training to stop extreme weather like flooding from destroying their crops:

Life-changing trees that fight flooding Families like Bekelech’s will learn how tree planting can boost their crop yields and protect their farms. Planting different indigenous trees like Cordia Africana as well as coffee on slopes helps to anchor topsoil, preventing soil erosion caused by rainfall and reducing the risk of flooding.

Healthy soils for healthy children Families like Bekelech's will learn about composting. Compost is rich in nutrients like nitrogen and potassium which are essential to plant growth. When compost is applied to the soil, it boosts crop yields.

Climate-resilient seeds to stop hunger By equipping families with resilient seed varieties such as cabbage, carrot and beetroot, crops have the best chance of surviving extreme weather, which is becoming more common as the climate crisis worsens.

We know that when the land thrives, so do the people who rely on it. Healthy soils, supported by the right trees in the right place, result in higher yields and a greater variety of crops for families to eat and sell.

Thank you for making brighter futures possible for children like Demoze and Derese this Christmas.