Children’s Book

Kigali, Rwanda — At Green City Kigali, a project of Rwanda’s Green Fund FONERWA, we believe that informing the community, raising awareness and engagement are essential to the success of an urban development project. For this reason, we have collaborated with the Rwandan publishing house and social enterprise “Imagine We,” to produce an educational book for children titled “Keza and the Green City”.

The goal of the book is to educate the young people of Rwanda about sustainable urban development and climate change and its relevance for Rwanda’s future growth. It was created to empower Rwanda’s children to become ambassadors for the environment.

“Keza and the Green City” revolves around an 11-year-old Rwandan girl named Keza. The story starts with Keza and her family having to leave their home in Bugesera and moving to Kigali due to extreme drought that has destroyed their crops and thus their livelihood.

Initially, Keza is very sad to have to leave her home and has a hard time adjusting to life in the Kigali and its pollution, traffic and crowded spaces. One day, a er heavy rain, her new neighborhood is completely flooded, and mudslides cause damage to many surrounding houses. The children, with the help of a young inventor and their science teacher, decide to act and start rebuilding the houses using natural materials available in the area.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Kigali is trying to find solutions to reduce the effects of climate change and to protect the citizens of Kigali. When the Mayor finds out about the children’s initiative, he joins their e ort and starts to build sustainable houses. Each house is equipped with solar panels, and communities introduced to electric mobility.

When the Green City comes to life, the community celebrates, and Keza becomes the new ceremonial ambassador for climate change.