Fort Portal, Uganda · Working since 1993

People and nature flourishing together.

JESE works alongside rural communities in the Rwenzori, Albertine Rift, Mid-Western and Northern Uganda regions to restore landscapes, strengthen livelihoods and build resilience to climate change, so that people and the ecosystems they depend on can thrive.

Explore our work Get involved

Two coffee farmers picking ripe cherries on a farm in western Uganda

1993

Founded in Fort Portal, Uganda

Who we are

Rooted in community. Restoring what connects us.

Joint Effort to Save the Environment (JESE) is a Ugandan non-governmental organisation based in Fort Portal, working since 1993.

For more than three decades we have combined local knowledge, scientific innovation and long-term partnerships to restore forests, farmlands, rivers and wetlands while improving the lives of the people who steward them.

Our story See our results

11,300,000+

trees plantedsince 1993

102,000+

farmers supported in sustainable agriculturesince 1993

35,700+

hectares restored and protectedsince 1993

53,200+

people reached with safe water and sanitationsince 1993

Two smiling farmers holding wooden poles in a banana plantation in Western Uganda.

Our vision

“A community where people and nature flourish.”

This vision has guided JESE since 1993, through changing climates, shifting policies and three decades of community-led work.

What we do

Four ways we work with communities

JESE's four thematic areas work together. Restored landscapes protect water, resilient farms feed families, and skilled young people carry the work forward.

All thematic areas

A waterfall plunging over rock cliffs into a densely forested river gorge.

Climate, Environment and Natural Resources

We restore forests, wetlands and river buffers, and support the community groups that protect them.

9 focus areas

A farmer tending staked tomato plants inside a wooden-frame greenhouse.

Sustainable Food Systems and Value Chain Development

We support smallholder farmers to grow more, lose less and earn more.

8 focus areas

A pupil washing their hands at a school handwashing station.

Clean Water and Sanitation

We bring clean water, sanitation and hygiene to communities and institutions.

7 focus areas

Yonas at a sewing machine in a tailoring workshop.

Youth Employment and Skills Development

We give out-of-school youth vocational and green skills, start-up kits and a route to work.

6 focus areas

Since 1993

Three decades of results, counted with care.

Estimated from JESE programme records and strategic plan data, 1993 to 2026. Where a number is still being confirmed by JESE, it is marked as such rather than presented as final.

11,300,000+

trees planted, since 1993

102,000+

farmers supported in sustainable agriculture, since 1993

35,700+

hectares restored and protected, since 1993

53,200+

people reached with safe water and sanitation, since 1993

See all results Read our reports

Where we work

A regional footprint, a local approach.

Our teams live and work in the communities they serve. From our head office in Fort Portal, Uganda, proximity is what allows us to respond quickly, build trust and stay accountable.

districts across the Rwenzori, Albertine Rift, Mid-Western and Northern Uganda regions.