LCM Stories- Eamonn Plant N Boom

Today I will be sharing the story of our new Local Changemaker Ambassador Eamonn Hanson - Plant N Boom

Eamonn was born in Sierra Leone and moved to the Netherlands after his parents divorced at the age of 13. Eamonn’s father who stayed in Sierra Leone, became ill and due to a lack of the right medical care, he died during the civil war. His last wish was to start a farm. Eamonn didn´t see himself keeping pigs and chickens, but immediately came up with the idea of planting trees. 

In 2004 Eamonn founded KETSO (Kauka Educative Tree Seeds Orchard) in Sierra Leone and moved back to help manage the cooperative (social enterprise) that is run by young locals.

Eamonn: "We buy poorly maintained agricultural land and plant new trees with which we restore the land. The young people in the village earn an income with this project that they run for us, and the trees provide biodiversity. We started with 200 seeds and now there are 30,000 trees on 200 hectares of land." 

After 10 years Eamonn turned back to the Netherlands and a few years later, in 2020, he put up the Plant N Boom Foundation to support KETSO in Sierra Leone. In this way he could focus more on companies to raise funds. The aim is to become financially independent. 

Eamonn: “We want to sell young plants to farmers in the area where we are located. With the money we earn, we can set up projects that improve the lives of people. Apart from that, we look for innovative projects and solutions such as using solar panels to extract water from the ground and irrigate the land. The villagers indicate what they need, and we give support. After all, it is about their existence.” 

For more information check: www.ketso.nl and www.planteenboom.nu