Planting with Purpose: Ping4Good Helps to Restore Rwanda’s Forests

As a business, Ping Identity helps organizations protect their employees and customers across every digital interaction. But while our core mission is building software that helps keep people and businesses safe online, that’s just part of the bigger picture of building a safer, happier world for everyone. 

To that end, we’re committed to building a purpose-led brand that helps make an impact. When you work with Ping, you’re not just investing in software—you’re helping us work towards positive changes that will impact lives and communities around the world.

With all that in mind, last December we launched Ping4Good, a program that aims to channel our passion for diversity, inclusion, and sustainability—plus the contributions of our employees, customers, and partners—to support important social and environmental causes. 

Our first big project was to plant 26,000 trees across Rwanda, Peru, South Africa, and parts of Northern Africa. That partnership is now starting to bear beautiful fruit. To take a closer look, here’s how we’re supporting community employment, sustainability, and reforestation in Rwanda.

Rwanda is an incredibly beautiful country, but its famously lush landscape faces a very real threat from deforestation. Whole sections of forest have been cleared to make way for massive commercial farms and to harvest trees for timber, charcoal, and other products. 

The loss of tree cover in a rainy, mountainous country like Rwanda comes at a serious cost. Besides the huge harm to biodiversity, deforestation has led to soil degradation, erosion, and landslides. Local communities, many of whom make their living from the land, have been hit hard too—experiencing smaller harvests, reduced income, and greater food insecurity. 

But there’s good news on the horizon. Recent measures are helping to start to turn the tide against deforestation. Rwanda’s government has pledged to restore 2 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. And we’re proud to say that Ping4Good is contributing to that green goal. 

With support from Ping4Good and other partners, 1,000 hectares of land across the Eastern and Western Provinces of Rwanda have been restored through our partnership with One Tree Planted. Under this effort, 200,000 trees and shrubs have been planted, with a mix of indigenous forest species to restore the canopy and soil integrity and fruit trees to provide a source of food and income for local communities. 

Those same communities have been central to the entire project and have empowered Rwandans to take a personal stake in the restoration and conservation of their land. One Tree Planted has worked with local organizations to bring 1,200 women from farming co-ops on board, as well as mentoring and training 300 people in sustainable agricultural practices and conservation techniques.

One big result of their efforts is bringing a whole new meaning to “groundwork”. As the trees grow, they’ll return stability and nutrients to the soil, protecting against erosion and landslides while improving farming yields. When properly managed, these trees will give farmers more than just fruit—they can be used as poles for beans and other climbing plants and provide firewood and fodder for animals. 

Additionally, restoring forest canopies will help make delicate ecosystems whole again and defend against climate change. Trees naturally capture carbon dioxide and reduce greenhouse gas emissions—making them one of the world’s most valuable resources in the fight against climate change.

Planting trees is just one of the ways that Ping Identity aims to make a difference for people and the planet. We have many other Ping4Good programs in the works. This includes initiatives to improve access to clean water supplies, address the talent shortage in cybersecurity, encourage diversity in tech, and support women in identity and girls in STEM. 

To learn more about Ping4Good, read inspiring stories about the projects we’re working on, and find out how you can get involved in our upcoming sustainability, diversity, and inclusion initiatives, check out the Ping4Good homepage.