Reforest’Action / Reforest'Action around the world: Interview with Hassina Uwiringiyimana, our Project Officer in Rwanda
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Reforest'Action around the world: Interview with Hassina Uwiringiyimana, our Project Officer in Rwanda

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Her commitment to the environment...

My commitment to the environment is to take proactive measures to reduce carbon footprints, promote sustainable practices and ensure that my activities do not degrade the environment.

Her background before Reforest'Action...

I have a master's degree in Forest Resource Management from the College of Agriculture and Life Science at Chungnam National University in South Korea. Before Reforest’Action, I worked for 2 years as a Research Assistant in the lab of Environmental Landscape Planning at Chungnam National University in South Korea. I specialized in the Application of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies to monitor land use and land cover change, forest degradation, and deforestation. I previously worked as a Community Conservation Officer in African Parks/ Akagera National Park and Forest Inventory Officer atRwanda Water and Forestry Authority.

Her missions and responsibilities for Reforest'Action...

My mission is to represent and supervise Reforest'Action projects at the local level. My responsibilities involve researching, developing, and monitoring afforestation, reforestation, or revegetation projects in need of financing; researching, developing, and monitoring carbon credit projects; evaluating projects prior to their financing via due-diligence missions; auditing financed projects in the field and evaluating their impact; and managing these projects on a daily basis, in conjunction with our local partners.

The forestry projects for which she is responsible...

I am currently in charge of three projects (one carbon and two classic projects): building resilience to climate change and sustainable agriculture value chains in agro-systems around Mukura Forest and Lake Kivu Catchment Landscape in Western, Rwanda; Mount Kenya Restoration & community Livelihoods Project in Embu, Kenya; and rehabilitation of degraded agricultural lands through agroforestry tree hedge planting in Malawi.

The added value of her local presence in the supervision of projects...

My local presence in the supervision of projects helps me to ensure that my projects are implemented successfully, that they achieve Reforest’Action’s desired outcomes, and helps me build strong relationships with the local community. Here are some of the potential benefits:

  • Better understanding of local conditions: local presence provide me valuable insights into the local conditions such as topography, climate, soil type, and vegetation, which all affect the implementation and success of the project. It is advantageous for me that I know the local culture and customs that build trust and engagement with the local community.

  • Better communication: Communication is key to the success of a project. The language barrier is not a problem for me since I can speak Kinyarwanda (Rwanda’s local language) and Kiswahili (Kenya’slocal and official language).

  • Both aforementioned languages are Bantu languages and are not very much different from Malawi’s spoken language since some dialects are similar. This makes it easy for me to relate to the project owners, local stakeholders, community leaders, and communities to understand their needs, and concerns and address them in a more timely and effective manner.

  • Greater accountability: Local supervision helps me to ensure timely that the project is implemented according to the plan and that outcomes are achieved since I can identify and address potential issues early on before they become major problems.

  • Project sustainability: Local presence allows me to ensure that the project is designed and implemented in a way that meets the needs of the local community and achieves the desired outcomes. This lead to greater long-term sustainability.