Rwanda National Tree Week

IFDC’s CATALIST/SEW Project Contributes to Rwanda’s National Tree Week December 9, 2010 – Kigali, Rwanda, and Muscle Shoals, Ala. –

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame planted the first tree on day one of National Tree Week in Coko Village in the Cyahinda Sector of the Nyaruguru District of Rwanda’s Southern Province. This year’s opening ceremony also featured the ministers of three key national ministries – Forestry and Mines, Environment and Lands and Agriculture and Livestock. The ministers planted Podocarpus falcatus, Grevillea robusta and Alnus acuminata agroforestry trees from Duhamic-ADRI’s nurseries.

In a speech, President Kagame urged residents of the Nyaruguru District to work hard to reduce rates of impoverishment and food insecurity. The tree-planting ceremony was part of the effort to kick-start development initiatives.

Rwandan President planting the first tree of the week

“Rain started pouring on that day and we’re now able to not only plant forestry seedlings from nurseries we established earlier this year, but other crops as well,’’ said Beatrice Kamagaju, a resident of the Sector and a Duhamic-ADRI worker at IFDC’s Sustainable Energy Production through Woodlots and Agroforestry Project (SEW), a component of the Catalyzing Agricultural Intensification for Peace and Social Stability (CATALIST) project. CATALIST/SEW is a three-year regional project that is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of International Cooperation that began in 2009.

“The tree week is a tradition Rwandans have observed for as long as I can remember,” recalls another Cyahinda resident. National Tree Week is a time for Rwandans to remember the importance of planting trees, thus preserving the environment, fighting erosion and maintaining the country’s beautiful landscape for future generations. Duhamic ADRI, a CATALIST/SEW service provider in Rwanda, hired staff to begin setting up nurseries at the beginning of the year when Kamagaju and nine other women were selected to do the work. The local authority at the time was contacted by Fidèle Mutabazi, head of technical staff at Duhamic-ADRI, who specifically asked that 10 of the most disadvantaged women in the area be given the opportunity to do the work, explained Kamagaju. “The project improved our lives considerably, first by increasing our daily income from 200 Rwf/day to 500Rwf/day and then actually multiplying it by four – our daily income later increased to 800 Rwf/day,’’ adds Kamagaju.

As part of Rwanda’s development plan, the Government encourages people at all level of the society to open a bank account. “This is how someone like me can now walk into a microfinance institution and sit with civil servants to get my pay. That is considerable progress when you know we used to walk around dressed in rags. We were too ashamed to dare enter a bank at the time,” Kamagaju proudly explained. She further explained that thanks to the SEW project, the local population now IFDC Rwanda 730, Kimihurura II, Gasabo District - B.P. 6758 - Kigali - Rwanda Tel: +250 255 10 42 11 • www.ifdc.org • Email: ifdcrwanda@ifdc.org

understands the importance of trees, and that erosion will not be as critical an issue once all the hillsides in the area are filled with trees.

It all started when a small nursery was planted by the 10 local women. The vulnerable people employed by Duhamic ADRI include widows, homeless persons, genocide survivors and people living with HIV/AIDS. Duhamic ADRI has formed an anti-AIDS group. It supports people living with HIV/AIDS by involving them in activities that do not require strenuous physical effort. It also adjusts their schedules to allow visits to the local health centers for medical care, to collect medication, etc.

Beatrice Kamagaju, a resident of the Sector and a DuhamicADRI worker at IFDC’s Sustainable Energy Production through Woodlots and Agroforestry Project (SEW), plants trees at the week’s closing ceremony

It is estimated that 44 million trees have been prepared in Rwanda this year. Of those trees, SEW is responsible for nine percent of the contribution at the national level – nearly four million trees. SEW prepared 923,900 seedlings of agroforestry trees and 2,967,100 seedlings of woodlot trees in 2010. Seventy percent of the shrubs will be used as forest trees whereas 30 percent of them are for agroforestry. During its three-year implementation period, SEW will establish 4,000 hectares (ha) of woodlots and 2,000 ha of agroforestry sites. Duhamic-ADRI and Multi Sector Investment Group Ltd. (MIG), two local organizations contracted to reach SEW’s goal in Rwanda, are actively involved in preparing these activities.

“It was an honor to witness President Kagame and his cabinet members planting tree varieties produced by Duhamic ADRI nurseries at the opening ceremony,” stated Bonaventure Nduwayezu, CATALIST/SEW officer in charge of woodlots and agroforestry program in Rwanda. “The ceremony will help motivate our beneficiaries and subcontractors who are planting many trees and seedlings from the nurseries.”

After thanking IFDC and other partners involved in the development of the week-long series of events, the Mayor of Nyaruguru District, Félix Sibomana, reminded attendants of the closing ceremony that several different tree varieties (including agroforestry and woodlot trees) were planted during the week. He insisted that it is the responsibility of local residents to take good care of these trees, given their importance. According to Mayor Sibomana, the trees will be used for firewood, home and other construction, shade and agricultural intensification. He stated, “Trees give life, and given the history of our country, we Rwandans understand the importance of life. Let’s continue planting trees and let the gift of trees become as important as the tradition to give each other cows.”

Fred Smiet, Regional Advisor at the Royal Embassy of the Netherlands in Kigali, accompanied by other staff members from the Embassy, visited two sites in Rulindo and Burera Districts where they were able to view seedlings produced by Duhamic-ADRI and MIG Ltd. Site preparation and planting activities are taking place on hillsides identified in the two districts, and jobs are created.

Students now benefit from the holiday income generated by part-time work and many of them are grateful for the initiative. Some of the students explained that they will buy school materials and uniforms with the money earned from preparing seedlings, planting and weeding them on watersheds/hillsides. As an example, the goal to plant 672,000 seedlings will be reached while also providing up to 63,900 jobs paying US $85,900 in Burera District during 2010. ###

IFDC Contacts: Danielle Mbesherubusa IFDC Rwanda + 250 255 10 42 11 danielle@ifdc.org Courtney Greene 256/381-6600, x357 cgreene@ifdc.org