Africa is dealing with an enormous drought. 30 of the 54 countries are in very bad ecological condition. The Justdiggit organization is committed to making dry areas in Africa green and fertile again. And they do that in a relatively simple way; with a shovel, and farmers who want to put the shovel in the ground. The mission of Dutch non-profit organization Justdiggit is therefore to make dry land green again on a large scale for a positive impact on climate (change), nature and people. They want to restore damaged landscapes on a large scale by pruning trees and turning the earth. It is raining in Africa, but the water cannot penetrate the bone-dry soil. To this end, the so-called "bunds" are dug, crescent-shaped holes that collect rainwater. The water returns underground to the seeds and roots, allowing the vegetation to recover. This has a positive effect on nature and the population. By purchasing one or more 'bunds' on Justdiggit's greening platform, donors help green the earth, while also ensuring a better life for the African farmer. Greening project Justdiggit has been campaigning in the Netherlands since 2013 and recently also in Germany and Africa. I speak to Wessel Koning, Director Business Development & Partnerships and from that position responsible for fundraising. It sounds a bit simple: dig a hole and thus offer a solution against poverty, global warming and restoring nature. "In principle it is," explains Koning. "Its strength lies in its simplicity and enormous scalability. From the start of the greening projects in Kenya, for example, more than 120,000 bunds have already been dug. We have also been busy in Tanzania. Since the start of this project in 2018, farmers have brought back 2.5 million trees in this area. These trees provide improved soil, yields and CO2 absorption. Starting this year, we will work with our new partner Timberland to bring back an additional 10 million trees over the next five years. 'Regreening' A bund has a size of 4 by 5 meters and costs a little more than 3 euros. If the depth, location and size of the dug bunds have been approved by the so-called fundi (supervisors), the farmer will be paid via the Justdiggit app. The donor receives a photo of the end result. Koning: "Farmers who are going to restore their own land by digging bunds will receive training from our local partners and by ourselves. Farmers who work land that is not their own are paid by Justdiggit. And it helps; For example, with the training courses in Tanzania, we have already reached more than a million people, 200,000 of whom are farmers. These farmers are no longer dependent on Western aid after our training. By making the soil fertile again, livestock can graze and farmers can sow and harvest. This way they can provide themselves with food and plants and animals slowly return through the collected water. Once the bunds are in bloom, they also grow towards each other. Another advantage; more vegetation means more crop evaporation and again increases the chance of rain. " The "regreening" projects are currently being carried out in Tanzania and Kenya. These projects now extend over an area the size of the Netherlands, but they will soon be expanded to other African countries. This requires money and awareness. "Research shows that bringing back 1 trillion trees can stop climate change, then the quality of the earth is as high as it was in pre-industrial times. We develop campaigns to show our solution to the world. ' Ambassadors For example, André Kuipers and Harm Edens have committed themselves to Justdiggit. Travel-loving TV maker Floortje Dessing is also an ambassador. "She believes we can save climate change with a shovel and believes in the simple and scalable method of Justdiggit." Dessing can be heard and seen in Dutch cinemas, on television and on the radio. Floortje explains how the greening projects work and shows the results - which become clear after a few months. Justdiggit also receives support from Nobel Prize winner Desmond Tutu. On TV spots and billboards you can read the words of Tutu: We are facing one of the greatest challenges ever: the earth is drying up. We must reverse this process while we can. Fortunately, the solution comes from the sky: rain. With rainwater we can make our earth greener again. Join the "Green Revolution." https://youtu.be/4mhAxuNQ92c