For as long as Jacqueline Murekatete could remember, the mountains of Kayonza had never been completely bare of vegetation and the region had never experienced the severity of drought and famine that has plagued the area in recent years. t…
Rwinkwavu Hills, Victim of Deforestation
Not far from Akagera National Park, in eastern Rwanda nearby Tanzanian coast lies Rwinkwavu sector. While passing there you can clearly see the naked red dirt hills, the view is free. Back in time, Rwinkwavu used to be a natural…
Resilience in Nyungwe: The Human and Wildlife Struggle Against Climate Change
In the lush forests of Nyungwe National Park, a place teeming with life, climate change has begun to weave a tale of struggle and resilience. Nyungwe, known for its rich biodiversity, is home to countless species, including the endangered mountain…
Rwandans tell the stories of their survival amidst a changing climate
In the heart of Rwanda, nestled in the vibrant community of Nyabihu, lives Jean-Pierre Uwimana, a father of three and a dedicated farmer. For years, Jean-Pierre has relied on the predictable rainy seasons to cultivate his crops, which provide sustenance…
The Changing Climate and the Resilient Farmers of Rwanda
In the hills of Northern Rwanda, Petronile Nyiranzarindwanimana, a seasoned farmer, has witnessed the changing climate’s impact on her land. For over two decades, she has cultivated fruits and vegetables on her 50-acre farm in the Rulindo district. However, the…
Dialogues about environmental conservation praise shower over bath for people and the planet
Research shows a daily soak in the tub soothes skin, reduces stress, and helps you sleep, but taking a shower is far more sustainable. In the ongoing dialogue about environmental conservation, showers are often championed over baths for their lower…
Climate change strikes South Sudan, all schools to shut down preparing for extreme heat
South Sudan's government is closing down all schools starting Monday as the country prepares for a wave of extreme heat expected to last two weeks. The health and education ministries advised parents to keep all children indoors as temperatures are…
Ethiopia: green legacy initiative improving nation’s water resource
Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) has been playing a paramount role in improving the nation’s surface and ground water as well as maintaining the safety of dams, Water and Energy Minister Habtamu Etefa said. Ethiopia is implementing the initiative, which…
Some countries pay people cycling to work to promote less pollution and noise
There are a lot of countries around the world that are keen to get rid of their car-centric cities and promote a more distinguished urban core with less pollution and less noise. Therefore, they pay people who cycle to work.…
Campaign by activists results in 50 hours trip for giraffe Benito to escape extreme climate
A giraffe named Benito has left his home in Mexico's arid north to begin a 2,000km-trip (1,200 miles) to more temperate climates further south. Benito's voyage follows a long campaign by activists who warned that he was suffering in the…
Plastics pollution causing infertility and cancer mostly in men
There is a growing public concern over the increasing cancer cases and men who cannot have children because they are infertile. The Ugandan ministry of health figures show that infertility affects about 15 percent of couples of reproductive age in…
Stars and billionaires who use their private jets the most are labeled as climate offenders
Americans emit three times more than the global average, but that is nothing compared to the billionaires and celebrities who catch their private jets as often as someone else catch a bus or grab their car. In 2021, per capita…
The longest gestation of African bush elephant contributes to their nearly disappearance
The African bush elephant has the longest gestation period of any mammal: a whopping 22 months, almost two years, which does not help the problem of the declining elephant populations. In 2016, experts estimated that Africa’s elephant population had dropped by 111,000 elephants in…
The use of synthetic fertilizers increase the nitrogen pollution
While the world is rushing to decrease pollutions in order to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, some products with pollutant compositions are being officially used by farmers in Rwanda, among others synthetic fertilizers which increase the nitrogen pollution…
Irrigation in Ndego, the messiah long waited by residents
Zelda Ayinkamiye, a 72-year-old resident of Ndego sector in Kayonza district, she was rushed back from Tanzania two years ago and now lodged by another resident, she has to farm in order to eat, however, the dry season can’t allow…
Climate change traumatizes locals and hinders development
Eastern Province is not normally impossible area to live in: the region is home to many places that are among the best in the country in terms of production and stable weather. Yet certain areas of the province, such as…
Clean water remains a dream for residents in Ndego sector
The sector of Ndego in Kayonza District, the eastern part of Rwanda which used to be part of Akagera national park before it was populated in 1995, has always encountered clean water issues. Recently, residents have been requesting their leaders’…
Ndego: Abandoned women struggle to raise kids as extreme hunger ravages the area
When she got married eight years ago, Marie Rose Yafashije thought it was a heaven on earth, a place of joy and an opportunity to form own family. Little did she think that at one point, her husband would abandon…