Eighty children from eight primary schools in Rwanda’s Kinigi and Nyange sectors of the Musanze District, were hosted on two successful four-day Conservation Camps in August 2024.
From Monday 5 through Thursday 8 August, and from Monday 12 to Thursday 15 August, Children in the Wilderness (CITW) Rwanda, in partnership with Conservation Heritage-Turambe, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and Muhisimbi Youth in Conservation, ran the two consecutive camps of 40 learners each. All the children are from the villages which border Volcanoes National Park, home to the country’s famous mountain gorillas.
Early each morning the children were collected by bus from their respective schools and transferred to the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, where a number of the workshops and fun activities took place. On the fourth and final day of camp, an outing to Wilderness Bisate was on the programme, focusing on reforestation and the importance of looking after their environment.
All the children were selected because they are members of the Environmental Clubs at their schools and amongst the most motivated students of their clubs.
During their workshops, the students learned about gorilla behaviour and ecology, the national parks of Rwanda, threats to biodiversity in Volcanoes National Park and the necessary actions to help protect it, plus the importance of birds in ecosystems. The children learned more about the intricate web of life, where every element in the ecosystem depends on another for survival. They explored how humans benefit from the environment and the critical role they play in preserving it. There was also time for arts & crafts, many different games and songs, snacks and meals, nature walks and exploring the environment.
A workshop facilitated by the RDB Community Conservation Wardens of Volcanoes National Park (VNP) was held on Day 2 of each camp, explaining the biodiversity of VNP to the children, as well as elaborating on the threats and action points that are necessary. The importance of conservation was further highlighted by the wardens. Another workshop facilitated by the Gorilla Doctors inspired many of the young learners to work hard in school, as who would not want to become a gorilla doctor when you grow up!
The Wilderness Bisate field trip included a visit to the lodge’s indigenous tree nursery, followed by hiking one of the nature trails on the property. In the nursery the children were welcomed by the Bisate agronomists who explained their processes, from seed to sapling to tree, as well as the importance of biodiversity in trees, and how to look after a sapling. The students were very interested and asked many, many questions. Whilst hiking on the nature trails the different trees were identified and more questions followed. The visit to Bisate ended with each child choosing their own indigenous sapling to plant at their home.
From Bisate, a conservation parade back to the Ellen DeGeneres Campus followed. With a police escort, the group of children marched through the community singing songs which carried their conservation message.
On the last afternoon, one of the students from our Conservation Camp in 2023, Aimable Byiringiro, came to explain to this year’s children how to take care of their trees received from the Bisate nursery. Aimable planted his Bisate tree last year in August at his home and he has nurtured it so well that in just one year the tree has grown to be as big as Aimable himself!
The closing ceremony of the Conservation Camps took place in the presence of sector leaders, RDB representatives, the Headmasters of the eight schools, and journalists from the local newspapers and television stations. The conservation camps received a lot of media attention across Rwanda, including national TV, radio broadcasts and newspaper articles.
The children pledged to the visitors that they will continue to contribute to conservation and what differences they will make in their homes and villages.
Prosper Uwingeri, Chief Park Warden of Volcanoes National Park, commented during the closing ceremony that camps like this have a significant positive impact on the park’s preservation by reducing activities that could harm it.
“The great thing about these camps is that the children gain a deeper understanding of biodiversity and the importance of forests, and they set personal goals to protect these resources. We’d like to see this initiative expanded and offered more frequently, because when young people grow up with these values, it reduces threats to our park”, he explained.
The very first – and equally successful – Conservation Camp in Rwanda took place in 2019. Since that time, including the two camps in 2024, seven Conservation Camps have taken place, hosting a total of 280 students.
Aline Umutoni, CITW and Community manager for Rwanda has noticed that the camps are getting better each year. “As custodians of some of the world’s last true wild areas, we have a responsibility to act. Our goal is to prepare the next generation of conservation leaders in order to sustain the future conservation of the wilderness. Together with our partners in conservation in this area we share this common goal, and by working together we can increase our impact in the area”.
The impact of the camps is clearly showing in some of the statements that the students shared on their last day of camp.
Elisa Rukundo, one of the students, shared his insights, saying, “One of the key lessons I learned here is that we should never harm an animal just because we think it’s dangerous or because we dislike it. Every creature, big or small, plays a vital role in our ecosystem – whether it’s a herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, or even insects that decompose organic matter. The knowledge we’ve gained here is vast; from how agriculture thrives to the air we breathe, it all exists because of this interconnected chain”.
Pascaline Uwitonze highlighted another aspect of the camp, noting how many animals contribute to Rwanda’s economy through tourism, benefiting local communities near the park, who receive 10% of the generated revenue. “Wildlife is incredibly valuable, not only for our ecosystem but also for our economy”, she said. “Many tourists come to Rwanda to see gorillas, and this brings significant income to our country. Beyond gorillas, we have many other species that we must protect, as they contribute to a better life for all of us”.
Together with our partners, Children in the Wilderness Rwanda is already looking forward to next year’s camps!
