We are very happy to win the 2023 Communication Award from the Society For Ecological Restoration, which we received last month at the 10th World Conference on Ecological Restoration in Darwin, Australia. The Society For Ecological Restoration (SER) is a global partner of the UN Program “Decade on Ecosystem Restoration” and hosts yearly conferences that provide a vital platform for knowledge exchange, discussion, and engagement on the latest trends in restoration science and practice, as well as techniques and strategies for restoring ecosystems on all continents. At this conference, the SER gives awards to honor outstanding contributions to advancing the field of ecological restoration.

The Communication Award acknowledges individuals and organizations that have significantly impacted the theory, practice, or public awareness of restoration through innovative communication strategies. In 2023, SER recognizes LEAD Foundation for our efforts to reach over two Million people in Tanzania, approximately 3% of the total population, through various forms of communication. We effectively employ a movie roadshow or mobile cinema unit to screen educational and engaging documentaries on diverse nature-based restoration techniques, traveling from village to village. By now, more than 400,000 people throughout Tanzania have watched our movie show events and there are many more to come. Additionally, we use a variety of different methods of communication, like murals, media, publications and bulk SMS.