Launch TerraFund AFRI100 Mushonyi Community-Led Restoration project
On June 3, 2026, The consortium of Resilient Builders Initiative (RBI), RCCN, GLR supported by TerraFund under the AFRI100 Restore Local program, launched the Agroforestry for Mushonyi Community-Led Restoration Project in Mushonyi Sector, Rutsiro District. The event drew more than 300 participants, including government representatives, development partners, teachers, students, community leaders, project beneficiaries and members of the media, and marked the start of a collaborative effort to restore degraded landscapes, promote agroforestry practices and strengthen sustainable community development across Mushonyi and Boneza sectors.
The launch featured creative and inclusive community engagement: youth from local schools presented poems, drawings and performances themed “Tera Igiti, Ukibungabunge kandi Ugikuze” (“Plant a Tree, Protect It, and Help It Grow”), while six target villages—Gasave, Gakomeye, Kariba, Mubuga, Ruyogoro and Kamubuga—delivered cultural songs and theatre pieces emphasizing restoration. Competitions among students from GS Vumbi and GS Karugalika highlighted environmental stewardship through art and poetry, with winners acknowledged for their contributions.
Speakers at the event included Janvier, Executive Secretary of Mushonyi Sector, who stressed collective responsibility for restoration; Vuningoma F., who presented the project’s objectives, implementation strategy and expected outcomes; and Mucyo T. from WRI, who highlighted the project’s importance to local communities and thanked authorities for their support. The Vice Mayor in charge of Economic Affairs of Rutsiro District formally launched the initiative and urged community ownership and long-term sustainability.
Supported by TerraFund through the AFRI100 program, the project aims to restore 400 hectares of degraded land, plant 169,000 agroforestry trees, create 600 green jobs and reach 2,000 direct participants. Complementary activities will include the introduction of 60 beehives and the establishment of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) across all target villages to support sustainability and livelihoods.
The consortium said the launch successfully introduced the project to stakeholders, strengthened partnerships and mobilized community support, laying a foundation for advancing climate resilience, environmental restoration and improved livelihoods in Mushonyi and Boneza Sectors.
