The ongoing campaign to save our environment by planting trees received a boost from the First Lady, Jeannette Kagame when she joined the Rwanda National Police in a tree planting exercise at the police hospital in Kacyiru.

The exercise is part of the National Tree Planting Week that will be launched tomorrow in Karongi District. An estimated 44 million trees will be planted countrywide during the week.

Rwanda’s development process cannot be complete without efforts like the annual tree planting exercises. Development that does not take into consideration the preservation of the environment would be self-defeating.

Trees are very vital in the production of the oxygen that we breathe and in the formation rain. They also serve as wind breakers and play a crucial part in reducing the problem of soil erosion. We should not forget that the hilly topography of this country renders the land susceptible to soil erosion.

Even the efforts to beautify Kigali city cannot succeed if we do not plant trees.

We all need to take heed and plant a tree during the coming week. This way, we will have contributed to the development process of this country by owning the process of protecting our environment and making Rwanda a better place to live.

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