Art for Gorillas

Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: Nov 16 2009 | By: Julie

According to Rwanda’s Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Stanislas Kamanzi, almost 20 million trees - both forest species and agroforest species - will be planted this week throughout the country. This morning, AoC’s Eric, Innocent, Valerie, and I loaded the truck with seedlings from the AoC garden and headed to Kinigi to meet our students and plant trees.

Earlier this year, our students planted seedlings outside of their school. Please view earlier post.

Minister Kamanzi is at Gishwati Forest today where efforts are being made to recover lost forest due to human encroachment, deforestation and small-scale farming.

Planting more trees with the help from my dog, Ibyiza.

Rwanda will be attending the Copenhagen Summit for Climate Change in December.

We’re finished for the day with 100 additional seedlings in the ground.

More from Mr. Kamanzi at AllAfrica.com.

Tags: Art of Conservation, Gishwati Area Conservation Program, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, planting trees, rwanda

One response so far

Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), Community Based Tourism | Date: Oct 31 2008 | By: Julie

THANKS, my dear friends, for your recent comments and donations! Mary B, Silvia & Sara, and Paula - so happy to hear from you all. Mary G., Sara G., and DM - how nice it is of you for donating to Art for Gorillas. Valerie, Eric, Vince, and I appreciate each of you taking the time to reach out to us with your encouragement and support. Love to you all.

Positive energy continues for my team and I during these busy days - both in the office as well as showing our student’s work in a series of art shows to groups of tourists visiting the Northern Province of Rwanda. What fun we had meeting these wonderful visitors!

I enjoy the opportunity to speak with groups of visitors at a lodge nestled in the foothills of the volcanoes.

Valerie, Eric, Vince, and I park the truck at the bottom of the ‘hills’ and begin hauling the art and displays up to the lodge. Our trek makes it all the more interesting and fun.

A view from the community lodge - not so bad - especially after a day of trekking and visiting the mountain gorillas! Life can’t get much better than this!

Occasionally I get frustrated about the limited availability of art supplies in Rwanda but then I’m reminded of my friend and artist Steve Gerberich and I stop feeling sorry for myself. Click here for Steve’s Gerb - O - Matic website and you’ll see what one can do with found objects! And while you’re at it, please tell Steve to jump on the next plane to help Valerie, Eric, Vince, and me. He would unquestionably be a HUGE hit with the kids in our classes! Thanks!

Tags: Art of Conservation, gerbomatic

2 responses so far