Uncovering Rwanda’s Resilience and Innovativeness: A Journey into Climate-Induced Displacement

By Makele Isimbi Saidi

When I decided to embark on a mid-career master’s program, the choice was clear. I sought an institution that embraced the intersectionality of global challenges and was immediately drawn to Fletcher as a result. Having worked across seas and sectors in the initial chapters of my career, I yearned for an opportunity to reflect on my experiences and delve into the intricate issues hindering sustainable development. From my days supporting the Permanent Representative of Rwanda at the United Nations in New York to aiding the Deputy Director General on trade and gender at the World Trade Organization in Geneva and fostering partnerships for the Education Division at the African Development Bank in Abidjan, I had called a dozen cities across North America, Africa, Asia, and Europe home. Through this journey, one truth resonated deeply with me: our interconnection as a global community and the shared challenges we face. It left me with a profound sense of responsibility to craft global solutions for global problems.

Few challenges loom larger over our global community today than climate change. My time at Fletcher deepened my interest in the effects of climate change and prompted me to explore it further. This led me to a startling realization—alarming trends and statistics demonstrated the growing displacement linked with climate change and environmental degradation, impacting various facets of society, including gender, health, and security. My capstone project presented an opportunity to investigate how climate change was affecting Rwanda, a landlocked East African nation known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills" for its picturesque landscape and hilly terrain. With Africa being most vulnerable to climate variability and climate change, despite contributing minimally to the problem, the stark reality hit home: time was running out to assist those most vulnerable around the world to a crisis they did not create.

In the summer of 2023, I arrived in Rwanda with three priorities in mind. First, I sought to comprehend how climate change and environmental degradation manifested at the local level. While a global perspective is valuable when addressing climate change, understanding local impacts is paramount. Second, I delved into the discourse surrounding the imperative of catalyzing climate finance. We are falling far short of the required funds to effectively combat the crisis, which must be a global priority moving forward. Consequently, I aimed to delve into the roles of both the public and private sectors. Lastly, I examined the involvement of key multilateral institutions.

My initial task was to identify the primary environmental challenges stemming from climate change in Rwanda. The nation relies heavily on rain-fed agriculture, a sector highly sensitive to climate fluctuations. Rwanda faces various natural hazards, including flooding, landslides, and droughts. Since the early 2000s, the frequency and severity of these disasters have escalated significantly. Over the past decade, Rwandans have been among the world’s most impacted by landslides. This year alone, May's floods resulted in the highest single-day death toll in the country's recent history.

It was inspiring, therefore, to see how the Rwandan government has implemented innovative initiatives to mitigate the effects of climate change, yielding tangible results. A notable example is the integrated development program (IDP) model village settlements designed to provide secure housing for communities relocated from high-risk zones (HRZs).

My visit to the Kamara IDP model village epitomized the initiative's innovativeness. The model village, built and financed by the Rwandan Government in collaboration with the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) Reserve Force, was inaugurated in 2019. Kamara model village houses 240 households, comprising 1338 people, and features greenhouses for cultivating fruits and vegetables, a clinic, and an early childhood development facility. Across the nation, a total of 130 IDP model villages have been constructed.

Key institutions, such as the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) and the Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA), facilitate climate finance in Rwanda, and my next tasks included meeting with representatives from each institution to understand their roles. In a conversation with a manager within the Green Finance and Advisory Services, we discussed the bank's pivotal role in supporting private sector engagement in climate finance, a critical component of Rwanda's goal to become a climate-resilient economy by 2050. Recognizing that the public sector alone cannot muster the necessary funds, FONERWA, the first environment and climate change investment fund in Africa, plays a vital role in mobilizing and deploying finance within the country.

During my meeting with FONERWA, another remarkable initiative came to light— the Green Gicumbi Project. Focused on the Gicumbi District in the Northern Province, an area highly exposed to climate hazards, the project aims to fortify the resilience of rural communities through adaptation strategies. These strategies reduce vulnerability to climate change and risk exposure. The project has achieved tremendous success, notably in reducing human casualties resulting from recent floods. By combining tree planting, soil erosion reduction, and strategic household relocation, the project effectively harmonizes community resilience with relocation.

My discussion with the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Rwanda and Representative of the UN Secretary General, Dr. Ozonnia Ojielo, underscored the remarkable work being undertaken in Rwanda and the UN's support on the ground. Multilateral institutions like the UN play a pivotal role as the world grapples with the climate crisis.

Rwanda's efforts in the face of the global climate change crisis demonstrate how substantial strides can be made by embracing innovative solutions to address climate-induced displacement and climate change. Rwanda, with its minimal contribution of 0.003 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, serves as a testament to a nation that unites its private and public sectors to confront vulnerability to climate impacts. In a world often consumed by framing Africa and the Global South as regions in need of constant assistance, I take pride in witnessing on-ground innovation and commitment and a nation actively pursuing ambitious goals.

Thanks to the support of CIERP and the LEIR Institute, my time in Rwanda was transformative. As I continue dedicating my career to tackling global challenges through a global lens, I find solace in witnessing tangible development solutions at a local level to guide us. I left Rwanda deeply impressed and invigorated, firmly believing that, with the right blend of mitigation and adaptation, committed leadership, and funding, we can take greater strides in addressing the climate crisis.