The Chinese community in Rwanda on Saturday, November 11, took part in a special tree planting exercise in Kicukiro District as part of their contribution to environmental protection.

More than 2,000 trees were planted on a potentially endangered 76-hectare hill in Masaka Sector.

Organised by Rwanda-China Alumni Association (RCAO), the special community work, better known as Umuganda, was attended by Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda Wang Xuekun and Kicukiro District Executive Administrator Antoine Mutsinzi as well as members of the local private sector and residents of Masaka Sector.

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The tree planting exercise took place a day before the 52nd anniversary of the diplomatic cooperation between Rwanda and China.

Amb. Wang said the tree planting exercise took place at "the right time” and "the right place,” in Masaka.

He said Umuganda was admired by the Chinese people and the world as a "good path to the prosperity” of Rwandans that is led by President Paul Kagame.

"And the most important thing, our two peoples from Rwanda and China, we worked together in this event; we knitted our friendship and deepened our relations,” he said.

"I wish our two countries, our two peoples more prosperity and a good future through our work.”

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Masaka Sector hosts a China-supported hospital and Chinese medical teams.

China also supports the construction of the next home of University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK).

For more than four decades, China has dispatched medical teams and doctors to Rwanda to take part in life-saving medical interventions.

"This tree planting activity is part of our people-to-people cooperation and cultural exchanges between Rwandans and the Chinese community,” said the Chairman of Rwanda-China Alumni Association, Theoneste Higaniro.

"As the Rwanda-China Alumni Association, we feel that we are beneficiaries of the good cooperation between Rwanda and China,” Higaniro said.

"We want to improve and build on what the two countries have achieved in terms of education, infrastructure, and economic development to make sure the cooperation continues to grow.”

The association donated up to Rwf1 million which will be used to pay for health insurance of some of the neediest residents of Kicukiro District.

He said their activities will continue with other districts beyond Kicukiro.

The organisation has more than 1,000 members, who have studied and worked in China.

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The District Executive Administrator commended the initiative of the alumni association and the participation of the Chinese community led by Amb. Wang.

"We chose to plant the trees on the hill in Masaka to prevent degradation,” he said.

"We enjoy good relations with the Chinese community, especially with the projects they support in Masaka. We commend the alumni association in particular who initiated collaboration with us and we hope to achieve more with them, starting with this special Umuganda and the health insurance support they donated to our people.”

He said the district would continue to seek partners to ensure environmental protection in all its sectors.