Twenty-five years ago, Silas Wekesa Muchenje (the director of the Upendo Conservation Committee) had a dream - a dream to end hunger for those less fortunate, especially women and children, as well as to care for God’s creation in his community.  He looked around the land and saw how people had stripped the native trees to make way for more people and to grow agricultural crops.  Seeing this led to an idea of replanting all of those native trees and restoring the land.

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To restore the trees on the land,, a tree nursery was started in 2021 so that 10,000 native trees could be planted in the conservation area and throughout the community,  Nursery attendants were trained by the Bungoma County agricultural agent so they would know how to plant the seeds and seedlings and care for them until they could be planted.  As of October 2023, over 25000 trees have been planted in the conservation area or the surrounding landscape

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On a recent walk through the forest with some children and their families, Silas noted that no one knew the names of the native trees or what purpose they serve.  Now that the new trees have been planted, Silas wants to start an educational program to restore the knowledge about the trees that once existed in his people.