10 Trees: Growing Food Security and Regenerative Communities
Zingela Ulwazi is a registered Non-Profit and Public Benefit Organisation based in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, with a mission to enable access to critical information to improve women's lives and promote regeneration of and resilience in communities, and custodianship of nature in rural South Africa. The organization implements permaculture programs including the 10 Trees initiative, which brings permaculture classes to households, with learning opportunities in enterprise development, medicinal plant harvesting, and climate adaptation, resulting in improved nutritional diversity, increased biodiversity, soil fertility, water retention, and better community collaboration.
Chapel & York US Foundation is part of the Chapel & York Family of Foundations, which were established to increase the flow of philanthropic funds to organizations worldwide.
Project story
Zingela Ulwazi Trust: Growing Food Security, One Tree at a Time
In rural Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, communities struggle with poverty, hunger, and environmental collapse. Zingela Ulwazi Trust is changing that story.
Our 10 Trees programme empowers women to transform their homes into thriving food forests. Using permaculture, indigenous knowledge, and regenerative practices, participants receive fruit trees, medicinal plants, and hands-on training to build lasting food security while healing the land.
The impact speaks for itself: 210+ households and 2,230+ trees planted. But this isn't just about numbers. Women gain skills in seed saving, water conservation, and climate adaptation through our Permaculture Explorers training. Many become community educators and agroecology leaders, creating ripples of change throughout their regions.
What makes this work special? A thriving ecosystem of growers, mentors, schools, and emerging local markets—all united by one powerful belief: healthy communities and healthy ecosystems are inseparable.
Every tree planted is an investment in food sovereignty, ecological restoration, and women's empowerment.
Project updates
Team
10 Trees: Growing Food Security and Regenerative Communities
Zingela Ulwazi is a registered Non-Profit and Public Benefit Organisation based in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, with a mission to enable access to critical information to improve women's lives and promote regeneration of and resilience in communities, and custodianship of nature in rural South Africa. The organization implements permaculture programs including the 10 Trees initiative, which brings permaculture classes to households, with learning opportunities in enterprise development, medicinal plant harvesting, and climate adaptation, resulting in improved nutritional diversity, increased biodiversity, soil fertility, water retention, and better community collaboration.
Chapel & York US Foundation is part of the Chapel & York Family of Foundations, which were established to increase the flow of philanthropic funds to organizations worldwide.
Project story
Zingela Ulwazi Trust: Growing Food Security, One Tree at a Time
In rural Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, communities struggle with poverty, hunger, and environmental collapse. Zingela Ulwazi Trust is changing that story.
Our 10 Trees programme empowers women to transform their homes into thriving food forests. Using permaculture, indigenous knowledge, and regenerative practices, participants receive fruit trees, medicinal plants, and hands-on training to build lasting food security while healing the land.
The impact speaks for itself: 210+ households and 2,230+ trees planted. But this isn't just about numbers. Women gain skills in seed saving, water conservation, and climate adaptation through our Permaculture Explorers training. Many become community educators and agroecology leaders, creating ripples of change throughout their regions.
What makes this work special? A thriving ecosystem of growers, mentors, schools, and emerging local markets—all united by one powerful belief: healthy communities and healthy ecosystems are inseparable.
Every tree planted is an investment in food sovereignty, ecological restoration, and women's empowerment.
Project updates
Team
Location
South Africa
Round 3
Jul 1-21, 2026
Supporting community-led nature projects around the world.
Matching funds provided by
