RWARRI and BK Foundation Launch 2026 Tree-Planting Drive with 12,000 Seedlings at Mutembe Site in Rubavu
RUBAVU, Rwanda — November 5, 2026 — The Rwanda Rural Rehabilitation Initiative (RWARRI) and the BK Foundation have launched their 2026 tree-planting season at Mutembe Site in Nyamyumba Sector, Rubavu District, with plans to plant and monitor 12,000 agroforestry and fruit trees.
The activity is part of a two-year partnership running from April 2026 to March 2028. The initiative aims to expand tree cover across Rubavu and Rutsiro districts, restore degraded landscapes and strengthen ecosystem services.
Local leaders and community members joined representatives of the two organisations at the Mutembe site, where residents took part in handling seedlings and beginning planting work on the hilly terrain near Lake Kivu.
RWARRI described the initiative with the message that “every tree is food, shade, income & climate action.” Seedlings raised in the organisations’ nurseries include avocado, citrus, senna and alnus.
The project combines agroforestry and fruit-tree planting, linking landscape restoration with potential benefits for household food production and income. Its partners say the work will include monitoring after planting, with the aim of improving seedling survival.
The BK Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bank of Kigali Group, focuses on education, economic empowerment and environmental conservation. It has supported tree-planting and monitoring activities, presenting environmental restoration as part of wider efforts to strengthen climate resilience and deliver benefits to communities.
RWARRI is a Rwandan non-governmental organisation registered since 2003. It works in rural socio-economic development and has been involved in landscape restoration initiatives in the Lake Kivu catchment.
The Mutembe activity forms part of a wider RWARRI portfolio. Other projects supported by TerraFund under the “Igiti ni Ukubaho” (“a tree is life”) banner have targeted the planting of hundreds of thousands of trees across parts of Rubavu and Rutsiro. These initiatives aim to address erosion, protect waterways and improve farm productivity.
Tree-planting activities in the wider area have involved public institutions, local authorities, civil-society organisations and private-sector partners. National campaigns coordinated by the Rwanda Forestry Authority have also sought to increase tree cover, while local initiatives have promoted fruit trees for nutrition and household benefits.
In Rubavu, fruit-tree promotion has also been linked to efforts to improve nutrition and address child stunting. In Nyamyumba and surrounding areas, community and partner-led planting has sought to stabilise soils and support household incomes.
For the RWARRI–BK Foundation partnership, the 12,000-seedling target is only one measure of progress. The organisations’ emphasis on monitoring reflects the importance of caring for trees after they are planted, particularly in landscapes vulnerable to erosion and land degradation.
By combining support from a private foundation, implementation by a local organisation and community participation, the initiative seeks to contribute to land restoration, food security and climate adaptation in western Rwanda.
The partnership runs until March 2028. Its longer-term impact will depend not only on the number of seedlings planted, but also on their survival, growth and contribution to the surrounding landscape and local livelihoods.
Source: Information provided by the Rwanda Rural Rehabilitation Initiative (RWARRI) and project material for the Mutembe tree-planting launch, November 5, 2026.
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