President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame yesterday joined residents of Ndera Sector in Kigali City’s Gasabo District in planting trees in Bwiza Cell as part of the monthly community work.

Speaking to thousands of residents, President Kagame pointed to progress achieved todate and urged citizens to work towards sustainable transformation:

"Our country was once known for its tragic history. Today, Rwanda is proud to be known for its transformation,” the President said.

"When your achievements are a result of hard work, you must be determined to never slide back to where you once were,”

Rising from the aftermath of the devastating 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda has maintained a growing economy and improving standards of living over the last 21 years. 

The President attributed the country’s recovery to the spirit of hard work that Rwandans have adopted, including through home-grown solutions such as Umuganda.

"What we have achieved to date shows us what we are capable of and Umuganda is an integral part of achieving even more. 

"Umuganda is one of the reasons we are moving forward, working together and believing in our common goal of transforming our lives and the lives of our families,” he added.

The President and the First Lady joined Ndera residents in planting trees on 14.5 hectares of the 25 hectares that will be turned into a forest in an effort to achieve reforestation.

The President highlighted the importance of trees and forests and urged Ndera residents to protect all the trees that were planted yesterday. 

The Head of State encouraged all Rwandans to keep working hard and collectively to achieve the development they need, noting that it’s through hard work that the country has become a better place to live.

Umuganda is held in communities across the country every last Saturday of every month.

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