Sam was born and raised in the Arusha region of Tanzania where he and his father worked with our executive director, Ezra Jay. Sam and Ezra’s early tree-planting projects included paying villagers to plant and care for croton trees, whose seeds are an inexpensive source of biofuel. Soon after, when the Greenstand team began developing the Treetracker app, Sam was one of our first app testers. He has continued to test every single version of the app that has come out, and often contributes to the tree photo verification team. Sam also tests the app on different smartphones that are available in his area; these tests will allow Greenstand to assess functionality and cost effectiveness for the project. Sam’s work is vital for ensuring that tree growers will have a smooth tree tracking experience.
When Sam isn’t working for Greenstand, he volunteers for one of our partner organizations, Kijani Pamoja (formerly known as Tuje Pamoja). He primarily assists with the integration of the Treetracker platform in Kijani Pamoja’s planting projects. He educates local communities on the importance of caring for the environment, best tree planting practices, and how to use the Treetracker. Sam provides Kijani Pamoja planters with seedlings directly from tree nurseries and oversees general planting operations. For large-scale planting projects, Sam often hires volunteers from local universities to support him in tracking newly-planted trees. When the projects are smaller and less planters are recruited, Sam can individually track up to 1,000 trees per day.
Overall, Sam is a reforestation champion. He is incredibly proud of the work he does for both Greenstand and Kijani Pamoja. Being part of the Greenstand community, according to Sam, is like being “at home”–– in fact, when he is tracking trees, he often forgets that he’s even working! Without contributors like Sam, who has been dedicated to the project since the beginning, Greenstand would not be able to bring socioeconomic incentives to the tree planting space. Thank you, Sam. We truly appreciate your contributions.
Thanks for joining us for this month’s System User Spotlight! Be on the lookout for the December spotlight soon!
Erin Baker
Communications Lead, Greenstand
erin.baker@greenstand.org
