Olympic committee launches environmental protection drive

Rwanda National Olympic and Sports Committee has launched a campaign aimed at helping local authorities acquire environmental education to deal with global warming, air pollution and many other ills that ruin the environment. The campaign is an initiative of the International Olympic (IOC) through the Olympic Solidarity. It started on October 10 but was officially launched on Thursday at Centre des Jeunes Olympafrica de Nyanza in Nyanza District, Southern Province, targeting over 260 people including 100 community leaders (50 men and 50 women) as well as sports administrators. Nyanza District Forestry and National Resources Officer, Aimable Nsengimana giving lessons to the local leaders. Courtesy The second group will include 40 primary school teachers and 20 sports instructors, while the third group will comprise 100 secondary school students, who will be trained starting on October 30 until November 2. The campaign will be carried out through education workshop sessions specifically educating them on how to protect the environment, improving water management, electricity consumption, and waste management. In total 260 individuals will be trained. RNOSC says the initiative aims to bring the public closer to nature through sports and also to raise awareness that sports and sports facilities can adversely affect the environment. According to Felicite Rwemarika, RNOSC’s first vice president, sportsmen and women should embrace environmental protection as it is always hard for them to do their sports activities effectively without better environment. L - R Gabrielle Bécard (Volunteer RNOSR & Sport and Environment project oordinator), Nkurunziza Enoch (Division Manager in Nyanza District), Rwemalika Felicité. “We decided to focus on training local leaders first because they interact with residents on a daily basis, and the next it will be school teachers because they reach pupils they teach and then we will train the youth, who are the strength and future of the country,” Rwemarika said. She noted that the campaign is aimed at sensitising the communities about environmental issues through workshops conducted by environment experts. Rwemarika further revealed that the initiative will be rolled out in other parts of the country after assessing its success in the pilot district of Nyanza. Some of the local leaders read out material that was given to them to help in understanding the enviromental protection awareness campaign. Courtesy Nyanza District environmentalist, Gustave Nzungize, welcomed the campaign in his area. The trained local authorities will be responsible for implementing new policies. “Forests are reducing and the culture of people to plant trees has reduced, we are encouraging them to understand the role of environmental protection as it is the pillar of sustainable development,” he said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw