If you live in Johannesburg, Centurion or Pretoria, or you want to plant a tree in South Africa in memory of a loved one from abroad, this is where your tree goes and why.
Because of the people
Gauteng is where many people from the rest of South Africa, and from other countries, come looking for work. Many arrive with little money and few connections. A fruit tree in a shared community area near where they live is a modest, free source of food once it is old enough to bear, and a green, shaded place in the meantime. It will not solve poverty, and it takes years to fruit, but it can help people get by, and it starts where the need is concentrated.
Because of the care
A tree only thrives where someone looks after it, and we plant close enough to look after it ourselves, including through the dry spells. We choose each site, and families do not pick a spot. Every memorial tree goes into a maintained community area, a place people already look after, so neighbours can water it and tell us if it struggles. We plant with future care in mind, not just planting. Read how this uplifts a community.
Because we want proof first
We would rather show that our trees survive here than spread across the country and lose track of them. You receive a photo when your tree is planted and again at six and twelve months, and a free replacement if it does not make it. Our evidence page explains why survival, not the number of trees planted, is the measure that matters.
The certificate. Every memorial tree comes with a certificate that carries the dedication you choose. Families abroad can print it, frame it or forward it, and we tell them where the tree was planted, so a daughter in London or a brother in Perth can follow a tree in Gauteng as it grows.
For South African families abroad
Many South African families now live in the UK, Europe and elsewhere, and a death can leave them far from the place and the people. A tree in South Africa gives them a sympathy gift and a living memorial they can follow from anywhere: a photo when it is planted and again at six and twelve months, a note of where it grew, and a certificate they can print.
Where we go next
Once we can show that trees in Gauteng are surviving and cared for, we will branch outwards: to other provinces first, and in time beyond South Africa. We will only plant where we can keep up the same care, because a memorial tree that is not looked after is not a memorial. If you are looking for a funeral flowers alternative today, our plant a tree in memory page shows how it works, and our social benefits post explains who else it helps.
Plant a tree in memory
A fruit tree grown, planted and cared for in their name, with a memorial tag, photos as it grows and a certificate for the family.
See how it works