About Us

Under the Tree Serengeti Foundation is a Dutch-Tanzanian NGO dedicated to forging sustainable community development and environmental stewardship in the Serengeti region.

Our story started when Judith Alkema embarked on a journey to Tanzania, where she met Dr. Jeremiah Amsabi Mrimi, a doctor in rural development and a Serengeti native, who uses his knowledge and power as Member of Parliament to improve livelihoods and environment in his district.

Having majored in Environmental Sciences, Judith wholeheartedly agreed to his mission, and soon conversation centered around identifying challenges like deforestation, soil erosion, and pollution. They decided that these challenges are not only environmental but also pose significant threats to the livelihoods of local communities. They observed a cycle: economic difficulties drive environmental degradation, which in turn worsens economic difficulties. This laid the foundation for UTTF. With UTTF, they embark on a mission together to break this cycle and foster sustainable change!

"The name “Under the Tree” symbolizes the connection between nature and community, representing a place where people and animals gather and connect"

UTTF sponsors and supports projects that combine community development and environmental conservation. Our Foundation is not charity focussed but works from a partnership base. As such, a Dutch-Tanzanian partnership lays the groundwork for the sharing of knowledge and capacities.

The Serengeti region consists of the world-famous Serengeti National Park, and a neighboring habited land, where people mostly live on agriculture and pastoralism. In the national park, many tourist operators are based, creating a wide range of interest in the area, varying from tourism to agriculture and from poaching to conservation. Our NGO creates projects where all parties involved can benefit from conservation efforts and community development. An example is the mutual benefits between regenerative tourism, economic growth and local environmental stewardship, which is the base of our Serengeti Dairy project. We see mutual benefits as an essential ingredient to bring people together and support a sustainable future!

Our 5 Core Principles

As people, we are at the service of the land which feeds us. We treat it accordingly, letting the circular and climate-neutral nature of the land inspire us in our practices.
We find that all people deserve an equal share of the wealth created. We work to make this happen.
Profits are not for a few individuals, but for all that put in the work. We divide it accordingly.
We will treat everyone who works with us equally, no matter their gender or identification.

Help us in our quest to make the Serengeti a prosperous area for both people and nature by donating or by getting involved in other ways!

Questions? Email info@underthetreefoundation.com

Team

Our Dutch team consists of a variety of experts. Our Tanzanian team is run by Jeremiah Amsabi Mrimi, Parliament Member of Serengeti District. We are currently in the process of setting up a local team.