On 30 November, the Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA) and local communities living in the two cells of Gasharu and Murama, Kinyinya Sector, organized a special Umuganda to inform the population about the Green City Kigali project.
Umuganda runs across Rwanda on the last Saturday of every month, from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM. At that time, people come together with the common purpose to achieve a positive goal for the whole community. As businesses and roads close, citizens across the country take shovels and hoes in a common attempt to help their neighbors.
On a sunny Saturday morning, the Green City Kigali project joined this iconic Rwandan tradition of self-help and cooperation, with the aim to promote a climate of trust and understanding by briefing the population about the different phases of project development. More than 500 people living in the project area as well as guests and representatives from the Government institutions and international organizations joined their effort to recover roads in Kinyinya, improve water drainage and clean bushes.
Music and traditional dances accompanied the Green City Kigali’s presentation, which thematised the different phases of the project and addressed critical issues such as job creation and affordability. After finalization, the project is expected to benefit 150,000 people and provide 30,000 housing units for residents. The communities will also benefit indirectly from the construction of the green city, which has a potential to create approximately 16,000 jobs when fully developed.
The Green City Kigali anticipates to contribute to more Umugandas in Kinyinya, in order to engage with its residents and address their concern as well as actively contribute to the development of a functioning neighborhood in the project’s area.