SEED trustee Jackson Nazombe is currently in Zimbabwe visiting some of the communities that SEED has been helping to empower. The seed beds in our new market gardening project are germinating well and should be ready for transplanting in the next few weeks.

Local instability forced a delay to our latest reforestation project, but we were finally able to proceed. (continues)

If you follow SEED on social media, you may have read about ten-year-old Josh's Read For SEED challenge. We are excited to announce that all sponsorship raised by Josh, up to 10,000, will be doubled by an anonymous donor. So please give generously!

As Josh told readers of the Cambridge News, he aims to read 10,000 pages during Lent, the equivalent of at least 30 books in just 40 days. (continues)

Earlier this month, SEED helped to launch a new program called "Catch Them Young" in partnership with several other local organisations, including the City of Harare, Environmental Management Agency and Environment Africa.

The program aims to teach schoolchildren about the importance of waste management, water sanitation and conservation. (continues)

Thanks to the generosity of SEED's supporters, we are helping two more villages to establish their own sustainable woodlots. The first has already been planted and the second is planned for this month. The two will be in villages about 10km apart, in the same region as the woodlot that we helped to plant in 2012. (continues)

SEED is delighted to publish a free lesson plan that aims to help pupils explore the meaning of Lent and how this season can be used to help others.

The lesson plan includes photocopiable resources and a powerpoint presentation. It was developed by a primary school teacher, Lizzie Halestrap, who was inspired by SEED's annual Small Change Challenge. (continues)

As part of celebrations to mark last month's National Tree Planting Day, SEED partnered with the City of Harare to help convert Greengrove Recreational Park into a Bird Sanctuary.

As a result of the decline in Zimbabwe's economy, the 22-acre park had been neglected and had become a site of illegal dumping. (continues)

As the end of the year draws near, we can celebrate recent progress on three projects:

1. "Mukando" micro-savings scheme: A year ago we launched our first micro-savings scheme. Since then, our group of 25 savers have succeeded in raising $5,323 (£3,395)! This was generated from initial contributions totalling $940 (£600), which was dispersed to group members as loans to finance a range of projects, including horticulture, raising chickens and livestock, and general commodity broking. (continues)

Ten years ago, Ruth spent six months in Zimbabwe. The SEED project was beginning and Ruth loved that she could help. She loved it so much that she wanted to go back. In July 2013 Ruth started volunteering for SEED, managing their accounts. Later, when organising a trip to South Africa, her holiday plans developed into something more. (continues)

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