Who we are?

Background

Established in 1991, the Rwandan Association of Ecologists or l’Association Rwandaise des Ecologistes (ARECO) is a well-known environmental and development organization dedicated to addressing the pressing ecological challenges facing Rwanda. The organization was founded by a group of concerned individuals who recognized the severe environmental degradation in the country, including soil erosion, land degradation, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and climate change, along with rising concerns about pollution.

ARECO was first incorporated in April 1992 under Ministerial Decree n° 119/05 and re-incorporated in December 2008 following the Genocide against the Tutsi under Ministerial Decree n° 180/11. Today, ARECO is a registered National Non-Governmental Organization with the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), operating across the country with a special focus on regions particularly vulnerable to environmental degradation, such as mountain areas, natural forests, lakes, and wetlands.

The words “RWANDA NZIZA”, which translates to “Beautiful Rwanda” in Kinyarwanda, were added to ARECO to reflect the founders’ commitment to enhancing the beauty and environmental health of Rwanda. It symbolizes their vision of a sustainable, thriving country where environmental preservation and development go hand in hand.

Through its programs, ARECO-RWANDA NZIZA works to promote biodiversity conservation, land restoration, pollution reduction, and climate change adaptation. By engaging local communities and collaborating with stakeholders, ARECO is helping build a more resilient and sustainable Rwanda for future generations.

Vision

A healthy environment and viable ecosystems providing ecological, economic and social benefits to people and nations through enabling policies and participatory management of natural resources taking into account gender and inclusion of social groups.

Mission

To promote sustainable development through environment protection, biodiversity conservation and natural resource management for resilience of ecosystems and communities.

Our Approach

ARECO-RWANDA NZIZA uses a participatory approach to actively engage stakeholders in all stages of its interventions, particularly in the projects implemented at the community level.

Involvement of grassroots communities, who are beneficiaries but also implementers of field interventions, in project design to base on their needs and perspectives.

Participation of women and men, girls and boys and socially marginalized groups is a priority to ensure gender consideration and social inclusion.

Establishment of partnership and collaboration frameworks as a strategy to create confidence building with community groups and synergies with key actors.