Reforestation takes a community: Meet Ali and Rainatou
21st April 2025
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In a quiet field in rural Burkina Faso, a man and woman are sitting side by side, patiently waiting for the interview to begin. A married couple, Ali Tall and Rainatou Sonde are thoughtful and quiet. Around them, a field of trees and crops shines brightly under the midday sun.
The pair are taking part in a reforestation project. Burkina Faso is small, with a population of around 23 million, 80% of whom are rural subsistence farmers - communities who grow enough food for themselves and their families to live on. But increased deforestation is threatening this way of life. Trees provide crucial fertility to farmland. Without them, entire ecosystems are thrown off balance, making it harder to grow crops.
In recent years, the effects of the climate crisis are also being seen and felt in real time. The rains, which have arrived at the same time for thousands of years, now come much later. Droughts are more extreme. And the dry seasons are unbearably hot.
In this environment, growing trees is needed more than ever.
“Planting trees is good for the environment.” Rainatou says. “We've noticed that the drought is getting worse. But reforestation is helping us to cope with it by restoring the tree cover.”
Resilience is grown together
Ali and Rainatou are from a small community in the centre-south of the country, close to the border with Ghana. Parents to five children, the first Tree Aid project they joined was Weoog Paani (meaning New Forest), which worked to restore forest land in over 25 communes. Ali soon became president of his local cooperative group. Together and working on the project, they witnessed the power of community, and the ways people and nature can thrive in harmony.
“There’s a saying in our area that one person alone can’t pick up flour,” Rainatou explains. “This shows how important it is to work together.”
And the results prove that it works. The success of the Weoog Paani project means that over 33,000 hectares of land have been revitalised, and over two-thirds of households in the programme reported having stronger forest governance in their community.
And now with a wealth of experience between them, Ali and Rainatou are about to begin a new project, with a whole new twist.
A new tool
Since 2024, Ali and Rainatou have been involved in Tree Aid’s latest project, Tond Tenga. Evolved from the Weoog Paani project and working with the same forest areas, Tond Tenga presents an entirely new and pioneering way of restoring land, by capturing carbon from the atmosphere, and putting communities first. This carbon capture project includes a financial model that means community members will receive money for the carbon they capture through tree planting.
Over a 40-year period, the communities taking part will receive a total of 30 million dollars, as well as the benefits that restoration brings: boosted incomes from tree products, protection from climate change, and a sustainable source of healthy food.
For Ali and Rainatou, the benefits are clear. As we wrap up our questions and make our final notes, the pair are thoughtful, looking at each other before leaving us with some final reflections.
“If you don't look after the seedlings you plant, it's as if you've done nothing” Ali explains, gesturing to the trees that surround us. “Trees are life and it's them that keep us going. They bring us rain, protect us from the sun and fertilise the soil. All this helps us to move forward.”
“We hope that you will continue to support us in restoring and protecting the forest,” Rainatou says. “Because our well-being depends on it. Our whole lives are linked to this forest.”