One of the Dutch grantees, Stichting Riforest, works to restore the ecology and economy of Morocco’s Rif region by reforesting depleted land together with local communities. Through their new Connect for Global Change project, they collaborate with influencers to inspire young people in the Netherlands to engage with global challenges such as ecology, climate, and migration — showing how local action can spark global impact.
Stichting Riforest’s mission is to contribute to the economic and ecological restoration of the Rif region by replanting depleted agricultural land. They do this by encouraging and helping farming families to plant various types of local fruit and nut trees, shrubs, and herbs. In an earlier collaboration with Wilde Ganzen, local partner PermaRif, and farming families, they established five food forests. These food forests provide greening and sustainable food supply for the families involved, but also serve as model sites to inspire local residents and other interested people.
‘There is usually very little budget for communication and awareness. Thanks to this project, we can finally invest in that.’ — Aziz Kaouass
Why did you decide to submit an application to Connect for Global Change?
“Over the past ten years, we have seen how important it is to create more awareness and engagement around themes such as ecology, climate, and migration. As a small organisation, we invest most of our resources in what we love doing most — getting as many trees and plants into the ground as possible. Normally, there is hardly any budget for communication or awareness. Thanks to Connect for Global Change, we can finally invest in that.”
What does this new project look like, and what is its impact?
For this project, we chose young people between the ages of 15 and 30 as our target group. We all know that young people spend a lot of time online and get most of their information through social media. To really reach them, we are working with two influencers and a young journalist. Together, they create and share content that appeals to young people and encourages them to think about themes such as ecology, climate, and migration. In this way, we aim not only to raise awareness but also to motivate followers to take real action — for example, by joining events, planting trees, or signing up as volunteers.
A key part of the project is a trip to the Rif region, where the influencers can see with their own eyes how depleted agricultural land is being brought back to life through reforestation. Their experiences help motivate a broad audience and show that change is possible. This project not only increases the visibility of Riforest but also strengthens engagement with our mission. More people learn about our work, feel inspired to contribute, and help us plant even more trees and support local communities.
Wilde Ganzen is the national coordinator in Nederland of the EU-supported Connect for Global Change program.