A graduation event for 39 Children in the Wilderness (CITW) scholarship students was held on the 20th of October 2026 at Rwanda’s first wildlife sanctuary, the beautifully restored wetland area at Umusambi Village in the country’s capital city, Kigali. These 39 graduates are the second set of recipients of a CITW Rwanda scholarship, and hail from the Bisate Village area close to the Wilderness Bisate Concession and Volcanoes National Park.
Together with the Bisate Parents’ Committee, the Head Teacher from Bisate Primary School, one of the Eco-Mentors, CITW’s partners from the area – including Conservation Heritage Turambe, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, and Muhisimbi Voice of Youth in Conservation – and Damascene, our CITW & Community Assistant, the party travelled by bus to Kigali from their home Northern Province. This was the first time many of the students have been to Kigali, and they were particularly excited to be exploring and learning about a new area of their country!
The group was met by the manager of Umusambi Village who welcomed everyone and then handed over to the guides. They elaborated on why this area is called Umusambi, and elaborated on all of the wildlife found at Umusambi, as well as its community engagement. We enjoyed a guided tour of Umusambi and learnt about the different species housed there, which includes more than 50 grey crowned cranes rescued from the illicit pet trade, as well as sitatunga (aquatic antelope), duiker, bats and butterflies, and the varied vegetation and habitats.
After the tour we had lunch while sharing many inspiring stories from the students.
The CITW Scholarship Programme in Rwanda started in 2019. It gives Eco-Club members who have completed primary school with good results in the national exams a chance to qualify for a bursary that covers their six years of school fees, uniforms, materials, meals, as well as the cost of this celebratory tour. Currently, 210 deserving students from local communities in Wilderness’ areas of operation are recipients of scholarships.
Apart from the scholarships they receive, the students continue with environmental education at high school through weekly YES Club (Youth Environment Stewardship) lessons. This offers them the infrastructure to learn more about the important of protecting and conserving the environment, wherever they might find themselves once they complete high school.
Manzi Kayihura, Wilderness Rwanda Managing Director (above left) and Operations Manager Heinrich Röntgen (right) joined the event, and they both noted with great appreciation the positive difference the programme has made for the students. The students thanked the CITW team, Manzi and Heinrich for all the support they have provided for their six years of high school, as well as earlier at primary school.
Watch scholarship graduate Moses Maniraguha’s heartfelt thank you to CITW and all the stakeholders and donors.
Another graduate, Germaine Uwingabiye, read out the beautiful poem she wrote as a thank you to CITW.
CITW & Community Manager Aline Umutoni, thanked the children for the hard work, energy, encouragement, respect, commitment, love and discipline that they have manifested – from primary school through to their completion of high school. The support the students received – emotionally, practically and socially – has helped their mental wellbeing and resilience tremendously, while simultaneously strengthening both their personal and community relationships.
Aline ended by thanking the generous donors who support the CITW Scholarship Programme in Rwanda – without their support we could not be reporting on this good news!
Manzi closed the event saying, ‘First of all, we would like to thank you for doing well. We are proud of you because you have made good use of the support you received, showing us that our efforts were not in vain.
‘Conservation and community are important in our daily lives, and you are lucky to have had the opportunity to learn about them at such a young age. Many young people do not get the same chance, so please value this opportunity and continue working hard, Keep aiming higher. You are the kind of young person our country needs to achieve great things.
‘We believe in you and will continue to support you wherever we can. Remember, your success means a lot to us, so stay focused, do not give up, and continue making us proud,’ he said in conclusion.
