Although CHEMA is an environmental organization, CHEMA`s goals reach further than just planting trees or encouraging conservation. We hope to support the environment by strengthening the communities tied to it. CHEMA aims to promote development with its activities in natural resource management by addressing all three pillars of sustainability - social, economical, and environmental. Through its projects, CHEMA increases accessability of forestry and agricultural products to target groups while securing household income and encouraging community action.

The resulting environmental benefits are many. For example, besides the obvious advantages of maintaining a healthy biodiversity and protecting endangered indigenous tree species, afforestation has the upshot of reducing soil erosion and allows for the recovery of soil fertility. As additional gains in the social realm, CHEMA`s watershed protection program helps reduce the spread of water-borne diseases by ensuring clean and reliable drinking water, as well as cutting down the distances women and children travel to fetch the water. CHEMA`s seed security program helps alleviate malnutrition by enhancing the availability of appropriate crop varieties to a majority of the farming communities at the right time and place and in a sustainable manner.

Since implementing its village-based approach in 2005, CHEMA has seen an upsurge in its impact. By working directly with the village governments and their citizens, CHEMA can design proper and adequate participatory strategies. CHEMA works very hard to develop and strengthen the skills, awareness and understanding of project participants throughout the region. By building villagers` capacity, CHEMA hopes to encourage confidence in investing in natural resources for the long-term. CHEMA also sees how essential it is for youth to be involved in maintaining the environment and aims to make them good stewards of the environment.

The Future of CHEMA

CHEMA is now focusing on quantifying its achievements. We hope to carry out small-scale research on the carrying capacity of ranges, water bodies, and biomass of the projects areas and to implement an information repository. The rudimentary state of quantifiable information in the region makes it difficult and nearly impossible to see trends in the utilization and rehabilitation of natural resources. It is thus difficult to rationalize our advice to policy makers, donors and professionals. We are still in the incipient stages of this process, but we aim to carry out impact assessments of our projects in land use planning, farmer's academy, afforestation support and beekeeping-oriented natural forest protection.

CHEMA  also promotes sustianable use of fuelwood in homesteads and among businessmen, charcoal producers and hotel managers. It is therefore necessary to make a thorough inventory of the alternative sources of energy available within the projects locations. This will be complemented by mobilizing local communities to manufacture and apply the relevant and popular energy saving devices, including improved cookstoves. 

CHEMA is proud to announce the completion of our NEW Technical Training Center, where the public can learn basic computer literacy and conduct research on the internet. The Training Center will also be a  meeting point and convention center for the area.