The Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB) has conducted a training of trainers (ToT) to equip local facilitators with the skills to support the development of Village Land Use and Action Plans (VLUAPs) in 60 additional villages across Rutsiro and Karongi Districts.

Held from August 4 to 6, 2025, the training is part of the Congo Nile Divide (CND) Project, funded by the Green Climate Fund. 

The project aims to build the resilience of vulnerable communities to climate variability through forest and landscape restoration in the ecologically significant Congo-Nile Divide zone, a region vital for biodiversity conservation, water regulation, and sustainable land use.

VLUAPs are localized planning tools that guide practical interventions such as erosion control, agroforestry, terracing, and conservation agriculture. The newly trained facilitators will work closely with local communities to design and implement these plans in priority catchments.

Zaninka Bonifilde, Executive Secretary of Tangabo Cell in Manihira Sector, Rutsiro District, praised the training and its community-centered approach:

“We were trained on the CND project and realized how it will help us conserve our land in the face of climate change. The project promotes ownership, ensuring that community members maintain what they help build. It also creates local jobs and fights poverty, with opportunities for everyone; women, men, and people with disabilities.”

In her closing remarks, Pamela Ruzigana, the Catchment Restoration and Erosion Control Division manager, emphasized the importance of commitment at the local level:

“If you apply what you’ve learned, this project will succeed. Don’t see it as just another initiative led by outsiders. While RWB supports and designs, you’re the ones on the ground, working with landowners to ensure these interventions last.”

With this new phase of VLUAP development, RWB continues to empower communities to take an active role in restoring degraded landscapes and contributing to a more climate-resilient Rwanda.