Student exchange has an impact. Educatius is helping plant change where it matters most

[Gothenburg, April 15 2025] With 15 years of community-led forest conservation in Tanzania, we’re turning climate cost into climate action.

Studying abroad changes lives. But flying to an exchange program also impacts the planet.

Since 2009, Educatius has supported responsible tree planting and forest conservation in northwestern Tanzania through Aiducatius, its not-for-profit arm. The effort—led by community groups in Nyamahanga village—has already distributed more than 124,000 trees since 2020 alone.

But the true measure of impact isn’t in tree counts—it’s in stories like Enica Amon’s.

In 2014, Enica was a secondary school student when she received a handful of tree seedlings through an Aiducatius-supported outreach in her rural village. But she didn’t just plant them—she learned how to nurture them.

Thanks to training in forestry, sustainable agriculture, cookstove construction, and waste management, Enica gained hands-on environmental knowledge that would change the course of her life. As her trees grew, so did her confidence—and her future.

Today, Enica is a farming consultant and environmental educator. Alongside her husband Baraka—an environmentalist and coordinator of the Biharamulo Environmental Campaign—she’s taught others in her community how to plant and protect trees, build efficient stoves, and care for the land.

When their first child turned two, the couple planted trees as a financial safety net for his future education. They’ve since done the same for their daughters. These trees aren’t just carbon absorbers—they are a growing source of resilience, income, and intergenerational knowledge.

“This isn’t just environmental work,” said Carla Kearns, Vice President of Communications for Educatius. “It’s what climate justice looks like when it’s rooted in education, equity, and trust. Our partnership with this community shows what’s possible when you invest in people and let solutions grow from the ground up.”

Long-term investment, local leadership

Through its partnership with FPCT Nyamahanga Mission, Aiducatius has supported the planting of more than 124,000 trees since 2020 alone. But the work goes much further than planting trees in the ground—with a focus on training, community ownership, and economic benefits that extend beyond climate mitigation.

The program includes:

• Forestry education and sustainable timber cultivation
• Cookstove construction to reduce indoor smoke and slow deforestation
• Tree seedling distribution to families, youth groups, and women’s collectives
• Skills training for climate-resilient agriculture and small business development

In 2023, the FPCT Nyamahanga Mission received Tanzania’s Torch of Freedom Certificate of Appreciation, one of the country’s highest civilian honors, in recognition of its environmental and social impact.

A model of what climate responsibility can look like

As a global leader in student exchange, Educatius recognizes that international travel contributes to environmental impact. Its partnership with communities like Enica’s is part of a long-standing commitment to take responsibility in meaningful, community-led ways.

“We teach global citizenship,” said Kearns. “And we try to live it—by investing in futures like Enica’s.”