During the 15th Kwita Izina ceremony, organized by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the Forest of Hope Association (FHA) Founder, Madeleine Nyiratuza, was honoured to name one of the 23 baby gorillas. This is a recognition for her contribution to the conservation and restoration of the Gishwati Forest Reserve which led to the creation of Gishwati Mukura National Park.

Madeleine naming a baby gorilla

The name she gave to the baby gorilla is “ISANZURE” . This baby is from the Amahoro Family and the mother is Mudahinyuka. This Kinyarwanda name “ISANZURE” means “be free, be safe and roam freely”. Indeed our gorillas need to feel safe and roam freely in their habitat. “Gorillas have no boundaries, as a result of the successful conservation partnership between Rwanda, DRC and Uganda for the mountain gorilla habitat, gorillas are allowed to roam freely” Madeleine Said after naming the baby gorilla.

The FHA founder, Ms. Madeleine, discussing with Ron Adams, the Ambassador of the State of Israel in Rwanda, Jeremy Jauncey, the Founder & CEO of Beautiful Destinations, during the Kwita izina ceremony.

Ms. Madeleine Nyiratuza was the Country Director of the Great Ape Trust/Gishwati Area Conservation Programme (GACP), an international NGO that conserved Gishwati from 2008. She created FHA in 2012 when GACP closed in 2011. The short term goal was to fill the gap left by GACP. The FHA long term mission is engaging local communities in conservation of protected areas through community forest protection, sensitizing local people about the importance of conserving protected areas and improving local livelihoods and reducing human-wildlife conflicts.

The most significant results achieved by the work of these two organizations include: The increase in forested area from the 886 hectares in 2008 to 1570 hectares presently, reduction of illegal activities and the establishment of the Community Forest Protection Initiative, a community-based conservation approach to reduce local pressure on the forest resources. Gishwati Forest is presently considered as a conservation success because of these achievements. It has gone from a 98% of forest reduction to significant restoration, has preserved biodiversity, increased community support and gained important institutional recognition with the law establishing Gishwati-Mukura National Park gazetted on 1st February 2016. This new status continue ensuring the long term protection of the Gishwati natural forest, the survival of the biodiversity that it shelters and increase of other ecosystem services that it provides, including water and microclimate regulation. The status also helps to increase the country economic growth through tourism revenues. In this regard, FHA supports community groups to design ecotourism products. These include traditional dances, handcraft making, beekeeping and traditional medicine.

Madeleine with other namers in the group photo with H.E Paul KAGAME, The President of Rwanda, during the Kwita izina at Kinigi.

Currently, Madeleine is the Programme Specialist, Sustainable Growth Unit, UNDP Rwanda. FHA team is grateful for her important contribution to the survival of the Gishwati-Mukura National park biodiversity.

Madeleine’ baby gorilla

The video by Madeleine during the visit, just after Kwita izina