Chisamba District · Central Province, Zambia
Kuntendekelo Training Hub (KUTH)
- 3.000 trees planted
- 45 people trained in agroecology
- 1 demonstration plot set up for training
KUTH is located in Chief Chamuka area in Zambia Central Province, close to the Chipembi mission. It is a rural region where most families live on what their fields produce. And that is getting harder year by year. The forests are disappearing, the soils are losing their strength, and clean water is scarce.
Zambia loses around 250,000 to 300,000 hectares of forest every year, mainly through charcoal production and farming that takes more from the soil than it gives back. People here feel the consequences directly: erratic rain, droughts, failed harvests. When the harvest fails, the income fails too, and often the school money with it.
Women and girls are hit hardest. Where water and washrooms are missing, adolescent girls miss two to three school days every month. From its own tree nursery and two new wells through to training in sustainable agriculture, KUTH brings reforestation, water and knowledge together into a model that lasts. We put particular effort into supporting women and mothers, because where they get ahead, the whole community grows with them.
KUTH stands for Kuntendekelo Training Hub. On the ground, the project is run by our partner organisation Kuntendekelo Training Foundation (KTF), an organisation registered in Zambia. It was founded by Deaconess Mable Sichali, who has worked for years in environmental education, sustainable agriculture and community work.
Instead of short-term aid, knowledge is created that stays. Participants become trainers, savings groups become strong communities. Over time, tree nurseries, wells and groups carry themselves. Protecting natural resources and strengthening women go hand in hand here.
What KUTH does
- Reforestation and its own tree nurseries to bring the forests back
- Sustainable growing methods such as permaculture and agroecology
- Training in climate-resilient farming and additional sources of income
- Close involvement of communities and schools
- Self-help groups that strengthen women economically in particular
As of March 2026
Q1 of 4 January to March: the foundation
Our KUTH project in southern Zambia (Chisamba District) has been running for three months. In this first phase the key groundwork was laid in terms of staff, organisation and expertise, so that reforestation, education and income-generating measures can have a lasting effect. That is an important step towards not just starting the project, but running it in a way that holds up over time.
The most important milestones of this early phase include:
- Building a local core team for the operational and technical project work
- official backing for the project from Chief Chamuka
- start of community mobilisation on the ground
- procurement of more than 12,000 planting bags
- purchase of over 20,000 seeds of various indigenous tree species
- first training courses in permaculture, agroecology and mushroom production
- setting up a short-cycle production unit with vegetables such as onions, okra, cabbage and aubergines
What matters most to us is the holistic approach of the project. It is not only about planting trees. It is about building knowledge, strengthening local structures and creating prospects together that will last.
Alongside the reforestation work, a production unit has therefore already been set up to contribute to the project self-sufficiency. At the same time, first talks were held with women groups and other local actors. The response on the ground is positive and shows how important it is to combine ecological measures with education, participation and practical income prospects.
After this successful start, attention now turns to the next phase: further work in the tree nursery, deepening the cooperation with the communities, and preparing to plant 25,000 trees in the first project year.
As of June 2026
Q2 of 4, April to June: from setting up to delivering
- Expansion into three new villages: Sichilongo, Mwamulando and Suze, plus a baseline survey in six communities
- 45 people trained in agroecology (25 women, 20 men, 8 of them young people)
- 3,000 trees of various species planted during the practical training
- In-house production of organic biochar, liquid organic fertiliser and bokashi
- Two fully working boreholes, each 100 metres deep, with solar pumps, two water tanks (10,000 and 5,000 litres) and solar panels
- 150 bundles of thatching grass procured for the planned eco training shelter
From the field: two wells where one was planned
The first drilling attempt hit solid rock at 70 metres and stayed dry. Instead of giving up, the team drilled on to 100 metres and struck plenty of groundwater. With the rig already set up, a second well was sunk straight away. Today there are two wells where one was planned, and all within budget.
Training the community
Making biochar
Impressions from the tree nursery
As of June 2026
What comes next
The site is growing into a self-sufficient eco village: a place where sustainable living can be seen and touched, built with what the region itself provides.
- Finish the irrigation system so the fields keep producing in the dry season
- Build an eco training shelter from local materials
- Run further training in permaculture and agroecology
- Consolidate the self-help groups and support them on their way to becoming a cooperative
This project is funded by the Deutsche Postcode Lotterie and the Stiftung «Wald schafft Zukunft».
