Plant a Living Memory and Sustain the Olmoti Community: Join Global Linkages as we plant the next round of 200 Legacy Trees in the Global Linkages Legacy Garden in Olmoti, Kenya
Donations will fund tree planting and ongoing maintenance of the GL Legacy Garden: "A Place to Honor our Loved Ones and Promote Maasai Culture." You can plant a tree in someone's honor by donating today.
In 2025, we planted the Global Linkage Legacy Garden. Now, YOU can help us continue to Plant Paradise by donating a tree for our next round of planting!
Our Goal: Plant 200 Trees by October 2026!
Share your honoree's name(s) in the Donor Scroll box. Additional space available after clicking "Donate."
About This Program
In 2024 and 2025, the Global Linkages travel community came together to raise over $100,000 for a deep borehole well in Olmoti, a Maasai community near Amboseli, Kenya. Over 400 individuals, churches, and sororities came together to establish the Global Linkages Water Project, which brought a sustainable clean water supply to Olmoti. The well was opened in October 2025 and is now serving residents and their livestock every day!
To reach this ambitious fundraising goal and empower Olmoti's re-greening vision, Legacy Trees were donated to honor family members and loved ones. Together, we dreamed up the Global Linkages Legacy Garden: A Place To Honor Our Loved Ones and Promote Maasai Culture. The garden was planted in August 2025, and now it’s blooming in the most beautiful way!
You can donate a tree to be planted in the next round of planting! When you donate, you'll have the option to dedicate or memorialize your tree(s) to someone, living or deceased. These trees will be dedicated to loved ones by Global Linkages travelers during their visit to Olmoti in October 2026.
GL Travelers, WILK, and members of the Olmoti community visiting the Legacy Garden in October 2025.
How to Donate
Here's what your donation will provide:
- $50 - Plant a legacy tree
- $100 - Plant a grove of 3 trees
- $150 - Plant a grove of 5 trees
- $250 - Plant a grove of 10 trees
- $500 - Plant a grove of 25 trees
About this Partnership
In 2023, Global Linkages and Water is Life Kenya, a US-based nonprofit that has been supporting Maasai communities in this region for over 18 years, formed a partnership. The goal was clear: bring a deep borehole well to the Olmoti Community near Amboseli National Park.
Throughout Kenya, re-greening efforts have taken effect as communities do their part to mitigate the effects of climate change, drought, and deforestation. With the borehole water, Olmoti plans to sustain thousands of trees around the surrounding area to quell the negative effects of climate change and restore Olmoti's natural environment.
Our three hired caretakers have been working hard to beautify this space, protect the legacy trees, and welcome visitors. We can’t wait for you to see it when you visit Kenya!
GL Travelers, including Principal Lorna K. Johnson, planting trees in honor of their loved ones last year.
About the Global Linkages Legacy Garden
With water now available, the Olmoti community has been dreaming of how to use the water to re-green their environment. To make this possible, Global Linkages, Water is Life Kenya, and Olmoti have established the Global Linkages Legacy Garden.
This garden has three key features:
- Legacy Trees: Individuals honored their loved ones by donating the trees planted in the garden.
- Medicinal Trees: Even today, Maasai use medicinal trees, bushes, roots, and leaves to cure ailments and promote health. Medicinal trees are also a feature of the legacy garden.
- Maasai History: The garden harbors trees carefully chosen by Maasai elders. This garden will keep their history alive, creating a local attraction for Kenyan travelers.
The following traditional Maasai plants have been chosen as names for different sections of the garden.
- ESUNKOROI: Aloe Vera, The Healing Plant
- NOONKOTIAK: A Place for Calabash
- NKOORIONDO: The Sacred Olive Tree
- ENTEPESSI: Tortillis Acacia, Favorite Food of Elephants
- ILMARBA: The Maasai Acacia Tree
- OLMOTI: A Stone That Holds Water
Every new donation will receive an honorary postcard to recognize that a tree will be planted. Each tree will be dedicated to one person, either living or deceased, and the honoree name(s) will be displayed in the garden. Please share your loved one's name(s) in the Donor Scroll box when making your donation (additional space available after clicking "Donate").
Touring the future garden's grounds during GL's visit to Olmoti in October 2025.
The Legacy Garden blooming in May 2026!
Ways to Donate
- Click "Donate" on this web page.
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Donate via PayPal by clicking here.
- If using PayPal, please allow us to see your name and email so we can acknowledge you.
- Send an ACH wire transfer (contact us).
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Send us a check with your honoree name(s) to our mailing address:
Water is Life Kenya
314 E. Main St.
Kelway Plaza, Suite 2
Newark, DE 19711
An installed memorial plaque in the Legacy Garden.
A view of Mount Kilimanjaro from the Legacy Garden!