In Wangari Maathai`s words, "You cannot protect the environment unless you empower, inform and help people understand that these resources are their own, and they must protect them", resonates with this year`s Earth Day theme, Restoring Our Earth.

In Africa, tree planting is a culture that is being sensitized among the people as one of the ways to restore our forests. Self Help Africa for example launched the `Another One Million Trees` initiative aiming at planting one million new trees in all their programs in Africa. This initiative is being carried out in collaboration with the local communities, and farming cooperatives in Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Uganda. EarthDay.Org Africa, a non-profit organization, advocating for creating awareness to educate the public on the benefits of protecting the environment and how to include this in their lifestyle.

The African Union in a statement to commemorate Earth Day urged the African countries to implement the African convention on the conservation of natural resources, Maputo convention, and extended this invitation to all their partners advocating for the restoration of African natural resources and ecosystem.

CD4Peace embraces the initiative to heal our planet through actions that promote sustainability and environmental protection.