According to the UN, South America and Africa lose forests at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world. After years of civil war Mozambique is trying to rebuild itself from the ruins, but the development comes at a great cost to the country's natural resources.
The rich hardwood forests of Mozambique are currently under threat. Trees are being chopped down and burnt into charcoal, which supplies 80 percent of Mozambicans with fuel, as well as a steady source of income. But the destruction of this precious resource is unsustainable - and not only threatens people's livelihoods but also has serious climate change implications.
One small village near the coastal town of Beira, however, is challenging this trend by putting forest conservation at the centre of community development. The Mezimbite Forest Centre's entrepreneurial activities include a nursery division that grows and plants thousands of trees and a design and production division that uses sustainable natural resources to create high-end products for sale both locally and internationally.
The centre also has a multi-purpose education programme that nurtures the specialised skills required for bespoke design production and agroforestry as well as providing education for the children in the community.
Join Ndoni Khanyile in Central Mozambique where a local community project is hoping to break the cycle of poverty by not only growing trees and skills but futures.
