The Establishment of Reforestation Green International Corporation

Background


The founder of this not-for-profit corporation has been campaigning for reforestation in Ethiopia since the early 1980s. Regarding this issue, he has written many articles in the Ethiopian Herald and other newspapers. In these articles, he highlighted the adverse impacts of deforestation on the environment and the need for reforestation. Concurrently, he distributed tree seedlings free of charge to some residents of Addis Ababa. He has always been concerned about the environmental degradation, drought and famine in Ethiopia, which are partly caused by deforestation. The founder was determined to tackle the problem in an organized manner by establishing a not-for-profit corporation

Reforestation Green International Corporation (RGIC) was established on October 31, 2005 in the State of New York, United States of America pursuant to the Not-for-Profit Corporation Law Section 402.  RGIC has no religious, ethnic or political affiliations.

Its main purpose is to tackle deforestation, environmental degradation and global warming by launching reforestation projects mainly in Ethiopia and other countries including the USA.

The corporation has submitted a reforestation proposal to the Ethiopian Government in order to be able to plant trees in that country. The project will be undertaken in collaboration with local farmers, who will be the primary beneficiaries of the venture. The farmers will be responsible for the care, maintenance and management of forests, which will be formally placed under their stewardship.


Major Objectives of the Corporation:


  • To create public awareness by highlighting the seriousness of deforestation in Ethiopia and its devastating effects on the environment and the people.
  • To create a culture of reforestation, where citizens will plant trees and conserve forests of their own will or with minimal reminders.
  • To complement the government's efforts in reforestation by encouraging the participation of public, national and international organizations.
  • To plant trees annually throughout the country in areas designated for reforestation in collaboration with local farmers (In order to reduce the farmers' dependence on tree cutting for subsistence, RGIC will help them to engage in alternative source of income by training them in bee keeping and agro-forestry).
  • Eventually to put Ethiopia in the right path to reclaim its lost forests and create a friendly environment.
  • To contribute towards the international effort to curb global warming by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide and increasing oxygen in the atmosphere.

Structure of the Corporation


The corporation has a board of advisors. The members of the board are:

  • Engineer Kasegn Tekletsadik
  • Dr. Kimdar Sherefa Kemal
  • Ms. Tejitu Mola
  • Zewdie Tibebu
  • Mr. Abebe Bekele

Contact information of board members will be available upon request.

The Board of advisors shall serve for a term of three years renewable for one more term.

The Board will establish goals and directions for the development and preservation of the Corporation. It will raise funds to support the reforestation effort. It will hold annual meetings and review the performance of the Corporation for the previous year and its plans for the following year.

The Corporation will be headed by a president, who is the founder of the Corporation. He will create an Executive Management Committee, which will ensure that the Corporation's activities are carried out efficiently, economically and effectively.

The Corporation will have a branch office in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, which will be responsible for the field activities of the Corporation. The branch will have minimal but enough technical and administrative manpower to undertake the reforestation activities. The Corporation is cognizant of the need to keep the overhead cost as low as possible so that most of the donations go to planting trees.

Reforestation Green International Corporations (RGIC) is...


a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization registered in the State of New York. All donations are tax deductible. The greater reward is the healing of the planet by planting trees and solving the problems posed by global warming. It operates under the following guidelines, according to its 501(c) (3) status.

  • It is not a limited constituency organization (e.g.: fraternal, social, athletic or veteran)
  • Its reforestation efforts are for the benefit of entire communities without any sectarian or religious requirements
  • It is non-political and does not engage in lobbying activities nor does it endorse specific political candidates
  • RGIC employs and partners with agencies regardless of race, color, creed, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin
  • It is not anti-business (just pro active!)
  • RGIC does not use commercial advertisement nor does it host fundraising events; individuals and organizations hear about it and adopt trees