SOIL SWEAT & SOUL

This is a movement led by those who call Africa home. By regreening the land, Restoration Champions ignite change from the ground up.

About

Land is more than soil; it's the roots of your past and the promise of your future. Across Africa, where fields have faded and harvests have thinned, people are not waiting for change... they are leading it they are leading it . Farmers, businesses, and communities are bringing the land back to life, their way their way . Together, we ignite change from the ground up.

Across Africa, local communities are restoring their land, and shaping their future.

RESTORATION

Champions

From cocoa farmers to youth leaders, these are the organizations bringing local change. Every tree they plant and every field they restore, creates resilient communities, and builds a stronger Africa.

ADIC

APRN/BEPB; 3C

ARDE/KUBAHO

Impressions

Frequently Asked Questions

With so many stories come many questions. We've gathered some of the most common ones-about the work, the people, and the impact. But since this is a movement, it's always evolving. New challenges, new solutions, new voices. Exciting right?

What is the purpose of this organization?

Restore Local exists to unlock the potential of locally led land restoration across Africa. Our mission is to support communities restoring degraded land, not only by providing funding, but also by equipping them with the tools, training, and visibility they need to succeed. We believe that the people closest to the land are the ones best positioned to restore it, and our role is to help them do it at scale.

How can I get involved or support your work?

We keep things local. If you’re inspired to support restoration, the best way to get involved is to connect directly with a restoration champion: one of the local organizations leading the work on the ground. These champions are the heart of Restore Local.

We also collaborate with musicians, artists, and storytellers who want to use their voice or platform to amplify the movement for land restoration. If you’re a creative, or part of a community that cares about the future of Africa’s landscapes, we’d love to hear from you.

To get in touch or find a champion to support, contact us directly.

Where do you operate, and which countries do you focus on?

Restore Local focuses on regions where local organizations (our restoration champions) are already making a real difference. We work across Africa, starting with three anchor landscapes where the conditions for scaling restoration are strong:

Lake Kivu & Rusizi River Basin, spanning Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda, with expansion into the Albertine Rift.
Greater Rift Valley of Kenya, with restoration efforts expanding across the broader East African Rift.
Ghana Cocoa Belt, extending into the West African Guinean Forests.

In each of these regions, we collaborate closely with local champions and key partners to co-create a blueprint for restoration, one that can grow from the ground up.

What impact has your work had so far?

Since our founding, Restore Local and its network of restoration champions have:

Restored tens of thousands of hectares of land
Planted millions of trees
Supported hundreds of local organizations and enterprises
Created thousands of jobs, especially for youth and women

We also help build local capacity through training, storytelling, and business tools—ensuring that restoration is sustainable, inclusive, and community-driven.

How do you ensure transparency and accountability in your projects?

Transparency is core to everything we do. Every project funded or supported by Restore Local uses a robust Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system, powered by the TerraMatch platform. This system tracks ecological, social, and financial data over the full lifecycle of a project.

Additionally:

We publish regular updates and dashboards.
Champions submit bi-annual reports backed by satellite data and field checks.
Independent third-party verifiers review outcomes where needed.

Our approach combines cutting-edge technology with local insight to ensure that every dollar spent delivers real, measurable impact.

THE CONVENER

World Resources Institute

WRI is the convener of Restore Local, bringing the scientific rigor that grounds the movement. While Restore Local champions locally led restoration as the most effective way to revive African landscapes, WRI amplifies the solutions emerging from the ground up. By supporting

community organizations and enterprises-our restoration champions-WRI helps them connect, share knowledge, and scale their impact. Through funding, monitoring, capacity-building, and policy incentives, WRI nurtures the environment where restoration can thrive.

More information