3,000 Trees Planted, 2,000 More to Go!

Planting 5,000 Trees Amidst a Global Crisis

When COVID-19 halted the world in March, the Conscious Impact team in Nepal quarantined in Takure, and at the same time undertook a huge tree planting mission: to plant more than 3,000 organic coffee trees in collaboration with local farmers. For 3 months, we worked almost every day to dig holes, carry compost and plant coffee saplings across the region. We are excited to announce today that we have reached 3,000 trees, and with the support of local farmers and our Nepali staff in Takure, we have extended our goal to 5,000!

We are SO grateful to everyone that has helped us raise almost $15,000 since March to help us plant 3,000 coffee trees. Every donation of $5 has already planted one coffee tree, and will allow us to continue to care for this tree for years to come. Our work would not be possible without your help, and we are so grateful.

Help us reach our goal and keep Conscious Impact at work

The Conscious Impact international team heads to a local family farm to plant coffee trees. Photo by Jonathan H. Lee

What does it take to plant 3,000+ trees?

1. Dedicated Local Farmers: First, it takes an incredible mobilization of local farmers from Takure that are inspired and ready to plant on their own land. We work directly with the Takure Coffee Cooperative, more than 50 men and women committed to expanding quality coffee production in the region. We do outreach to find new interested farmers around Takure, and in nearby communities such as Bimire, Baguwa, Aisilukharka and Pokhare. Each farmer is required to provide compost and participate in the tree planting process. We have made so many new and amazing community partners along the way! (Check out some of our highlighted families below)

2. A Growing Nepali Staff: Conscious Impact’s agriculture program is run with great support and leadership from our long-term Nepali staff. Program Coordinators Kumary Bomjom and Narayan Bhattarai communicate and organize with local farmers, and set the plan of work for the week. But with growing demand for support planting coffee, and limited access to international volunteers, Conscious Impact has needed to grow our local Nepali Agriculture Program Staff. In the past 2 months, we have added 4 amazing Takure community members to the team, Reshma Tamang, Tharendra Mishra, Chyangba Lama and Kapil Kafle. We love working together and are so grateful for the extra hands!

3. International Donor Support: With international travel to Nepal stopped, and no new volunteers, Conscious Impact faces the most challenging financial circumstances we have seen since our foundation in 2015. We rely on international volunteers for 90% of our annual income, and without this revenue, we struggle to pay our Nepali staff and invest in necessary supplies for our projects. Despite all of this, we have been able to continue our programs, and even grow our local staff, in thanks to the contributions of international donors around the world. Our fundraiser, launched in May, has almost reached our original goal of $15,000 and continues to provide the income we need to sustain our work. Every $5 donated plants and cares for one tree for life. Thank you so much for making this happen!

The fundraiser is still open, and we need your help.

Kumary Bomjom, Agriculture Program Coordinator for Conscious Impact, takes another 30 baby coffee trees from our greenhouse to be carried to a local farm for planting. Photo by Jonathan H. Lee

Who are the farmers?

Since the beginning of our coffee program in Takure in early 2016, Conscious Impact has helped to build a network of passionate, innovative and skilled local farmers across the mountains where we work. These farmers include men, women, grandparents and youth, and range across the diversity of ethnicities in the area. Tamang, Brahmin, Rana Magar, Dahal, and people of every community are excited about the possibility that coffee brings to increase their income without significant additional labor. We are excited about supporting them to make this transition into agroforestry and organic coffee production.

In a single day, our team can plant on average 35-50 trees with one family, which means that we have supported more than 50 families during this time, families like Ser Bahadur Koirala, Haribol Bhattarai, Aising Tamang, Radha Mishra, Madhav Khanal and dozens more. Each partner family becomes a part of our growing network of beautiful people that we work each day to serve. Take a moment to explore the family photos below:

Who makes this all happen?

For those of you that have visited our project in Nepal to volunteer with our team, you know our local staff well. Our work, our lives, in fact all that defines Conscious Impact, is our Nepali staff. Almost entirely born and raised in Takure, our team demonstrates the best of what makes Nepal famous: hospitality, kindness, humility, physical strength, non-stop work and playful laughter, all wrapped into one. Plus, each team member has their own stories, background, passion and visions. Kumary Bomjom, at only 22 years old, leads the way with her enthusiasm, open-mindedness, radical vision and absolute dedication to serving the Earth. Narayan Bhattarai, our lead Community Organizer, has spent 5+ years building our relationship to Takure with great humility, selflessness, a soft smile and deep wisdom. In our agriculture program alone, we now have 6 team members: Kumary, Narayan, Chyangba, Tharendra, Reshma and Kapil. They each offer a unique perspective and individual personality that together creates a dynamic, powerful and effective local Nepali team. Check out photos of our team below:

Why plant coffee now?

We know that this is a challenging time for people all across the world, and we stand in solidarity with struggling communities globally. In Takure, community members are also vulnerable to changing climate patterns, economic downturns, health risks and international travel restrictions. More than 25% of the country’s GDP comes from remittance (money sent from Nepalis working abroad). With this income in jeopardy, local agriculture becomes even more important to creating resilient, self-sufficient, economically sustainable village communities.

Every coffee tree planted sequesters carbon, builds soil life, prevents erosion, preserves local ecology and provides essential income to farmers in need. After more than two months of work, we continue to believe that planting coffee trees is the most valuable way to support the local environment and the resilience of Nepali families in the Himalayan mountains.

We need your help.

Without international volunteers able to arrive to Nepal, Conscious Impact is facing our greatest economic challenge yet. We have lost 90% of our income, and are now entirely dependent on the generosity and donations of our alumni and international supporters. We need to raise $25,000 in order to sustain our work, and keep Conscious Impact alive and well into 2021 and beyond. Please consider helping us today so that we can continue to pay Nepali salaries, purchase necessary supplies and plant thousands of trees in the Himalayas.

We know that this is a challenging time for families across the world. We send our love and blessings to each of you, and hope that you, your families and communities are staying healthy and safe. We understand as well if this is not a time that you can make a financial contribution. Still, we are committed to continuing our work in Nepal, and without this fundraiser it may not be possible. We are grateful to anyone that can donate, and to each of you for all that you have already given to this organization.

Love and blessings from Takure,

The Conscious Impact Team