The good news is here: the result of the Bundraiser!
The Bundraiser result is here: together we raised over 3,100 Earth Smiles! That means 388,864 m² of land in Samburu County will be regreened. The digging season has started, and soon the rains will come to let the regreening begin. 🌧️ Thank you to everyone who dug in!
A huge thank you
When we relaunched our Bundraiser to raise 10,000 Earth Smiles, we knew it would take a village. And what a village it turned out to be. Hundreds of you donated, shared, and cheered the campaign on, and together we raised over 3,100 Earth Smiles. Every single one of them will become a water bund in Samburu County, ready to catch the rain and bring the land back to life. Thank you for making this good news possible!
From donation to digging
Your support didn’t stay a number on a screen for long. The digging has officially started in Samburu, Kenya, where around 100 community members are hard at work digging the water bunds. It’s no easy job: the soil is hardened and the sun is hot, and it takes about half an hour to dig just one Earth Smile. That’s why the digging period lasts around two months in total. Of course, the community members are paid for their efforts, an income that supports their families with essentials like food and school fees, while strengthening household resilience during the dry season.
Why it matters to the people who dig
Nobody tells the story better than the people doing the digging themselves. Samburu community member Intelekwan shared what this work means to her:
“Originally, I come from a farm. So, I know that regreening the area will help us. There is a lot of insecurity in my area, Samburu, but if we regreen it, our kids will not have to go far away to secure a livelihood, and our livestock will always be nearby. We are here to conserve our land. It is not a one-person thing; it is a community initiative. I believe other people should follow in our footsteps!”
Words like these are exactly why we do this work: not just to regreen land, but to give communities the tools to build a more resilient future for themselves.
What happens next
While the digging is well underway, the real magic still has to happen: rain. Once the rains arrive, the water bunds will start doing their job, capturing rainwater and giving grasses the chance to grow again. Over time, this brings back not only greenery, but also biodiversity and better living conditions for both people and wildlife in the area.
It’s never too late to dig in
The Bundraiser result is very impressive, but this is certainly not the end of our mission. We’re still working hard to fight climate change, cool down the planet, and create more good news like this. If this update inspired you and you’d like to take one more step, our team will be happy to add another Earth Smile on your behalf.
Dig in and donate now to keep the good news going!